asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if he is aware of the recent major development whereby a substantially increased proportion of the food retailing supermarket businesses have been taken over by foreign chain stores; if he will undertake an urgent review of this situation with particular reference to price control and employment within Ireland in such companies; and if he will make a statement about such retail concentrations and their effect on the national retailing interests.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Food Retail Supermarkets.
5.
I take it that the question is concerned with two recent well-publicised developments relating to the ownership of two of the multiple retail outlets trading here. The first of these involved the acquisition, first, of 51 per cent and, later, all of the share capital of an externally controlled multiple group by another externally controlled group. The second relates to the proposed acquisition of an existing Irish-owned group by another group externally controlled but long established here. Since this particular proposal was the subject of reference by me to the Examiner of Restrictive Practices under section 7 (b) of the Mergers, Take-overs and Monopolies (Control) Act, 1978 and since the examiner's report is at present under consideration by me, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter at this stage.
Would the Minister of State agree that there is a good deal of public disquiet and can she confirm that there is a good deal of internal disquiet within the Department, about these developments whereby a major sector of retail distribution in the country will now be under outside control? Has this proportion increased very substantially in recent months?
I would not agree that the proportion has increased very substantially in recent months. I would agree that there is disquiet both among members of the public and in the Department. The only one of the acquisitions that I can talk about is the first one. Of course, the Department have continually had on-going meetings with the financial director and various other members of the board of the concern, which took over the shares in Three Guys, to ensure that as far as possible they will purchase their requirements for their Irish operations in this country. I assure the Deputy that the policy of the Department has been to impress upon these people that it is the Minister's intention to ensure that as far as he can he will continue to impress upon the company the great importance of purchasing all of their requirements that they can within the Republic.