Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 March 2015
13. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12094/15]
View answerAs we are about to suspend the sitting, I ask the Minister to just give the reply to question No. 13.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 came into effect on 31 October 2014, which was the implementation day for the new Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Since its establishment, the commission has been working to develop its first strategy statement for 2015-18, a copy of which I will lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas in accordance with the Act when it is finalised. This work is in parallel with the statutory work in regard to the dissolution of the legacy organisations - the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency - as well as the practical issue of integrating the two bodies. The commission has also undertaken some important work in the competition and consumer area since it was established, including reporting on the findings of the first consumer detriment study ever undertaken in Ireland; issuing guidance for SMEs on public procurement and how they can participate in consortium bids while respecting competition law requirements; launching a gift voucher awareness campaign both before and after Christmas; and, most recently, issuing interesting results, which I am sure the Deputy will have seen, of a survey on motor insurance comparisons.
In respect of the grocery goods provisions of the Act, a set of draft regulations were issued on 22 December 2014 for public consultation with a deadline at the end of February 2015. However, some respondents requested an extension of the deadline into March 2015 for submissions. The content of the submissions received are currently being fully considered before the final regulations are promulgated as soon as possible in 2015.
Since the enactment of the legislation a small number of technical issues arose that needed to be addressed to provide certainty in the interpretation of the media merger provisions. This was achieved through provisions inserted into the Intellectual Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 which was enacted on 23 December 2014. As the Deputy is aware, under the Competition and Consumer Protection Act, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources assumed responsibility for the public interest test on media mergers and a final decision on such mergers rests with him.
Will the Minister update the House on the number of staff that are being attached and the division within that staff between the competition side and the consumer protection side of things? There is no doubt that the work on insurance this week was excellent. What will be the follow-up to that work? Who requested more time in respect of the groceries order issue? It is not as if it was bounced upon people that there was going to be a consultation.
I will have to get the staff breakdowns for the Deputy. I do not have the exact numbers. As the Deputy is aware, we expanded the size of the commission and the former director of the National Consumer Agency is now a commissioner. The organisations merged with their existing complements and I would not have expected a huge shift in that since. We are already seeing that having the two elements of the marketplace in the same location is delivering more practical responses and solutions. I will get the figures for the Deputy.
I will also get the Deputy the information on who requested the time extension in respect of the groceries order issue. I do not have that information with me. It was clearly one of the participants. The order will introduce new obligations and new monitoring arrangements. The extension is for just one month and is therefore not being greatly delayed.
