Vol. 425 No. 7
197 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment if his attention has been drawn to the concern of many small shopkeepers that their Christmas toy trade was undermined by below cost selling; the range of products which it is illegal to sell below cost; and the plans, if any, he has to extend the regulations to other products.
I am not aware of any below cost selling of toys.
The Restrictive Practices (Groceries) Order, 1987 specifically prohibits below cost selling of grocery goods. "Grocery goods" is defined in the Order as "grocery goods for human consumption (excluding fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh and frozen meat, fresh fish and frozen fish which has undergone no processing other than freezing with or without the addition of preservatives) and intoxicating liquors not for consumption on the premises and such household necessaries (other than foodstuffs) as are ordinarily sold in grocery shops, and includes grocery goods designated as ‘own label', ‘generic' or other similar description". The ban on below cost selling does not apply to seasonal goods.
I have no plans to extend the scope of this regulation.
