logo
Ireland has 'very limited competition in supermarket sector'

Ireland has 'very limited competition in supermarket sector'

Agriland3 days ago

Ireland has 'very limited competition in the supermarket sector' compared to other EU states, a Labour Party TD has warned.
Labour's finance spokesperson, Ged Nash, last month brought a bill before the Dáil that would give the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) greater power to analyse and survey the groceries market.
This would also include the pricing practices of the major multiples.
According to Deputy Nash while the supermarket sector in Ireland and elsewhere is composed of different corporate models, Ireland has 'different company formations and we need to take account of that'.
He told the Dáil that 'we cannot say definitively there is not a form of price-gouging occasionally going on in the Irish supermarket sector if we do not have access to all the information to allow us to make that determination'.
'The CCPC simply does not have that information,' the Labour Party TD for Louth stated.
But he hopes that the Competition & Consumer Protection (Excessive Prices) Bill which he brought before the Dáil seeks to 'bring greater transparency to the Irish supermarket sector'.
'We hope this will lead to greater fairness for Irish consumers, who have been stiffed at the checkout,' Deputy Nash added.
Supermarket sector
He acknowledges that there is legislation empowering the CCPC that 'could be better used and applied' to regulate the supermarket sector.
But according to Deputy Nash 'there is no legislation anywhere that for example, compels supermarkets to share information that they need to share with our regulators if our regulators are to be respected and empowered'.
Speaking to TDs and ministers in the Dáil he said: 'A number of years ago I likened the trip to the supermarket to do the weekly shop to being as welcome as a visit to the dentist.
'It was and still is very difficult for people. It is becoming as expensive as a trip to the dentist also. That goes to show that the cost of accessing services, more generally, is increasing.
'Nobody is saying the state should take out a large hammer and decide to make all kinds of interventions, which never worked in the past, and pretend they will work now'.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘I haven't slept properly since I got here, there are sirens and chaos every night' – Irish woman describes how she sought refuge from LA riots
‘I haven't slept properly since I got here, there are sirens and chaos every night' – Irish woman describes how she sought refuge from LA riots

Irish Independent

time30 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

‘I haven't slept properly since I got here, there are sirens and chaos every night' – Irish woman describes how she sought refuge from LA riots

An Irish woman who was visiting Los Angeles said she had to take refuge in a bar as police and protesters clashed on the streets. As the Trump administration cracks down on immigrants, protests against raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spilled out into the wider downtown area of LA, with many shops looted and damaged.

Phantom cigarette puffer of Merrion Street prompts chortles in Dáil
Phantom cigarette puffer of Merrion Street prompts chortles in Dáil

Irish Times

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Times

Phantom cigarette puffer of Merrion Street prompts chortles in Dáil

What was that thing Gerry Adams said about informers in those slithery years before his beatification? Ah yes. 'The consequence for informing is death.' Thankfully, times are much different now. There are other ways of putting manners on people. READ MORE But still, a worried Micheál Martin – no sainted stalwart of the republican struggle – will be watching his back in coming days and weeks. Because nobody likes a political snitch either. (That's not strictly true. Some of us love them.) And after what the Taoiseach said in the Dáil chamber on Wednesday afternoon, we hear one of his own Ministers is out to kill him. But who? And why? It all kicked off with a very worthy contribution from Fianna Fáil 's Malcolm Byrne during questions on policy. Deputy Byrne reminded Micheál that the previous government agreed to introduce further laws regulating nicotine-inhaling products such as vapes, including restrictions on advertising, colours, flavours and imagery. The commitment is also in the programme for government. Any sign of this Bill? 'This is a public-health emergency,' said Malcolm, pointing to a recent survey of young people in Northern Ireland that found that 76 per cent of respondents had never smoked a cigarette before they started using vapes. He finished with a suggestion for the Taoiseach. In line with the example set by public institutions such as universities and the like 'maybe yourself and the Ceann Comhairle might agree that Leinster House would become a tobacco-free campus'. Steady on, Malcolm. Many of your colleagues are living on their nerves as it is. Some of the most senior TDs and senators, from across the political spectrum, are sneaky smokers. But Malcolm was pushing an open door here. Micheál is rightly proud of his record in this area. When he was minister for health back in 2004 he introduced the world's first statewide smoking ban, a landmark piece of public-health legislation. Don't get him going on the subject of the ciggies. Too late. Well, Malcolm. Now that you say it... A delighted-looking Micheál turned around to spill the beans to his deputy for Wicklow-Wexford. 'I spotted an errant Minister yesterday as I looked out a window, who had assured me that he had given up cigarettes and cigarette smoking,' he grinned, almost hugging himself with glee. 'Eh, he was caught red-handed as I looked out the window, but anyway, heh-heh...' Red-handed, no less. Oh, but he was only thrilled, slapping his hands flat against his two jacket pockets as if proclaiming to the world that you'll never, ever, find a packet of fags in either one of them. 'Pressure of the job, Taoiseach,' interjected the kindly Ceann Comhairle, in mitigation of the unknown Minister. 'But it was a funny moment, ha-ha-ha,' chortled Micheál, still cracking up at the thought of it. 'Pressure of the job, heh-heh, yeah...' Somewhere on the campus, a certain Minister's ears must have been burning like yesterday's surreptitious ciggie. As for Malcolm's question, the Taoiseach said Minister of State Mary Butler was making progress on the legislation, which has 'some European dimension to it' but the Government is anxious to get it done as quickly as possible. But for now, he couldn't give a timeline for the Bill. As for making Leinster House a no-smoking campus, that is a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas commission to examine. He urged those TDs and senators who still smoke to give it up. Needless to say, speculation immediately turned to the phantom puffer of Merrion Street. Who could it be? Obviously, it couldn't be a female minister because the one the Taoiseach 'caught red-handed' was a 'he'. Although that doesn't help much because a mere three women are senior Ministers. That only leaves 11 suspects as Micheál was clearly referring to a Cabinet member. One Minister was immediately in the frame. He likes to step out of his office on occasion and take the air on the North Road, which runs along Government Buildings on the Leinster House side. This has always been the place where the Ministers who don't smoke smoke and where the famous glass 'Bridge of Sighs' runs overhead, connecting both buildings. We contacted Darragh O'Brien , who immediately denied the charge. His daughter would kill him if she knew he was out smoking on the sly. 'So would his wife,' said a well-placed informant. Luckily for him, the Taoiseach said he was looking out the window when he caught the ministerial puffer in the act. Micheál cannot see the North Road from his window. There is only one other senior Minister with an office near him and that is the non-smoking Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris , who occupies the suite below. Simon would have had to be hanging out his window at an extremely dangerous angle with a ciggie dangling from his fingers for the Taoiseach to catch a glimpse. But wait. Micheál can see the courtyard of Government Buildings from his eyrie. And, on the day in question (Tuesday), both Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers and Minister for Housing James Browne were in that same courtyard for media briefings. It is highly unlikely that Jack, a medical doctor among other things, would have been smoking unless he was trying to look edgy. As for James Browne. He too is a non-smoker. Or at least he was a non-smoker until Micheál gave him the housing hospital pass and now he's on 60 Major a day and eating nicotine pouches for breakfast. Patrick O'Donovan? He smokes all right, but it only comes out of his ears when he talks to arty folk and people from RTÉ. Jim O'Callaghan? He may be an SC, but his Silk Cut is that of the senior counsel. Martin Heydon? No. Dara Calleary? No. James Lawless? No. What about Paschal Donohoe? 'When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth' said Sherlock Holmes. Except when it comes to Paschal – I keep my youthful dimples by not smoking, thank you very much – Donohoe. Let us look again at a crucial line from Micheál's Dáil bombshell. 'I spotted an errant Minister as I looked out a window...' Notice he said was looking out 'a window' not 'his' window or 'my' window. Because – and we now know this for a fact – he was not in his office when the sighting of the Minister occurred. Because the Taoiseach was, in fact, on the Bridge of Sighs! Not only that, my friends, but he was crossing the Bridge of Sighs with a large entourage, including a delegation from the Cork Chamber of Commerce who were up in the big schmoke for dinner with the Taoiseach when they saw a Minister who likes to take the air on the North Road down below them having a big schmoke. Not only that, but several witnesses will confirm that Micheál banged on the window when he saw this politician out on the North Road dragging away. 'He startled him mid-puff,' said one. 'He wagged his finger at him as well,' said another. We are not sure if a finger was raised in reply. That wouldn't be the Malahide way. Darragh O'Brien is going to have to kill Micheál now. Or at least put manners on him, the way St Gerry did with the BBC. Otherwise his daughter is going to have his guts for garters and the missus will absolutely burst him. That's if it was Darragh O'Brien, who is still saying it definitely was not him. Because he has definitely given up the ciggies. And that's what he definitely told Micheál. Justice for the Mallyer One. Please let there be a court case.

Taoiseach labelling Israel's actions in Gaza ‘genocide' won't stop Central Bank approving ‘war bonds', governor tells TDs
Taoiseach labelling Israel's actions in Gaza ‘genocide' won't stop Central Bank approving ‘war bonds', governor tells TDs

Irish Independent

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Independent

Taoiseach labelling Israel's actions in Gaza ‘genocide' won't stop Central Bank approving ‘war bonds', governor tells TDs

So-called 'war bonds', which it is claimed are being used to fund the killing of innocent children and civilians in Gaza, are under intense scrutiny as a second Dáil motion was tabled to ban them. The Central Bank faced sustained questioning from TDs and senators at the Oireachtas Finance Committee, but insisted it is legally required to approve the legal document, or prospectus, required for the sale of the bonds. To be sold in the EU, bonds from non-EU countries must have their bond prospectus approved by an EU country. Israel traditionally had its European bond prospectuses approved in the UK, but turned to the Central Bank in Ireland for authorisations after Brexit. The Governor of the Central Bank, Gabriel Makhlouf, said it was 'incorrect' to claim it can impose sanctions on the processing of the bonds on the basis of international court rulings. He said it is up to international bodies including the UN and the EU to respond to breaches of international law by Israel, and to determine if sanctions are necessary. 'The Central Bank cannot impose sanctions on Israel – for example by refusing to approve the Israeli bond prospectus – in circumstances where the EU has not imposed any such sanctions itself,' he told TDs and senators. The Central Bank said its approval for Israel trading bonds in the EU is due for renewal in September. 'We will look extremely carefully at the facts that pertain at that time and will make a judgment on it,' said the Central Bank governor. A number of TDs, including Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty and Cian O'Callaghan of the Social Democrats, said Ireland was a signatory to the Genocide Convention and this would enable the Central Bank to reject Israel's bond prospectuses. But Mr Makhlouf said the body is not bound by the Genocide Convention, but rather EU financial regulations, when deciding whether to facilitate the sale of bonds. ADVERTISEMENT The current prospectus is due for renewal again in September. 'If, when the state of Israel looks to renew its prospectus we will look extremely carefully at the facts that pertain at the time and we will make a judgment on it,' he said. But this will be based on the requirements of the financial regulations. 'The fact that the Taoiseach made the statement at the time, that is not going to change the judgement we come to,' he said, referring to Micheál Martin's comments last month that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Ahead of last night's Dáil vote on a Bill enabling the Central Bank to stop facilitating Israeli bonds. Sinn Féin urged government TDs to 'have a backbone'. Deputy Doherty said: 'We have to ensure the State has no hand, act or part in facilitating the sale of Israeli war bonds. These aren't just financial instruments, this is the money that is raised that pays for the bombs that pays for the bullets that pays for the destruction of the lives of men, women and children across Palestine as we speak.' Deputy O'Callaghan said while Independent TDs backing the Government had a free vote on the motion, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs had to vote along with the party whip. 'That is utterly unjust and unfair,' he said. 'If there was a free vote, this motion would pass and that would put the Central Bank under severe pressure to stop facilitating the sale of these bonds and would cut off a source of finance for the genocide that is taking place.' Labour's Conor Sheehan said: 'It is not enough to just call this a genocide. We need to make Israel an international pariah.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store