Vol. 397 No. 4
8 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce when he proposes to publish the report of the Fair Trade Commission on their study of the merits and demerits of the prohibition and control of abuse system for the regulation of competition in Ireland, as based on Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome.
I received the Fair Trade Commission's report of their study of the merits and disadvantages of the prohibition and control of abuse systems for the regulation of competition in December 1989.
Examination by my Department of the report is almost completed and the report will be published following consultation with all other interested Ministers and Departments. It is not possible at this point to give an exact date for publication.
Is it not the case that the Government have already decided to introduce legislation on the lines of a prohibition provision? Will he indicate when this legislation — which was promised and is included in the Government programme — will be introduced? Will it be based on the report to which he referred?
The Government have decided on the lines the Deputy suggested. The heads of the Bill are now ready after a great deal of work and are being circulated to other Departments. When that has been done it will go to the Government for approval and then for drafting. I hope, all going well, that we will have the Bill drafted in perhaps three months from now. I envisage the report being published before the publication of the Bill but after Government approval for its drafting.
