I can assure the Deputy that the inspectorate of the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs has been deployed to ensure full compliance by publicans with the terms of the Retail Prices (Intoxicating Liquor) Order, 1997.
The effect of this order made by the Minister for Commerce, Science and Technology, which entered into force on 11 March and applies to all areas of the country except the county borough of Dublin, the county of South Dublin, the administrative county of Fingal and the administrative county of Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, is to stipulate that the prices charged for intoxicating liquors indicated in any particular part of a licensed premises shall be the prices obtaining and displayed on 4 November 1996.
The Minister for Commerce, Science and Technology has no plans to revoke the order.
The inspectorate are also inspecting licensed premises in the Dublin area to establish whether the recent undertaking, given to the Minister for Commerce, Science and Technology by the Licensed Vintners' Association that their members would restore drink prices to their November 1996 levels, is being honoured.
Finally, I would refer the Deputy to my reply to a related question (Volume 474 No. 6, Column 1236) on 11 February 1997. The independent Competition Authority has initiated a study under section 11 of the Competition Acts of the Irish drinks market. The terms of reference set by the Authority for their study are "to undertake a study and analysis of the liquor licensing laws and other barriers to entry and their impact on competition in the retail drinks markets in the State". The Authority will therefore focus particularly on barriers to market entry and the impact of the licensing laws. Responsibility for any changes in this regard would ultimately be for my colleague, the Minister for Justice.