Latest news with #BrianMcHugh
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
178,000 products withdrawn, recalled or prevented from reaching market in 2024
Over 178,000 unsafe products were recalled, withdrawn or prevented from reaching the Irish market last year by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The actions were taken following consumer complaints, referrals from European networks, proactive investigations and work with Revenue Customs. The recalls included almost 10,000 babies sleepsuits and over 2,400 toy construction trucks. The CCPC's annual report for 2024 also showed that it carried out more than 200 consumer protection inspections last year. As a result of the enforcement and legal actions, it issued 47 fixed penalty notices and 23 compliance notices. The report said successful prosecutions were brought against five retailers, including Tesco Ireland. The CCPC said the retailer pleaded guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with the law in how they displayed the price of products offered on promotion to clubcard holders. The consumer watchdog also undertook five successful prosecutions for breaches of consumer protection law, including action against misleading pricing practices. And it opened an investigation into Ticketmaster Ireland and its handling of the sale of Oasis tickets last August, following almost 100 complaints over dynamic pricing. The commission also carried out dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation in the home alarm industry. It also assisted the Italian Competition Authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, in an unannounced search of Ryanair's headquarters in Dublin as part of an ongoing Italian competition law investigation. The CCPC said its "successful intervention to prevent a potential monopoly in car parking at Dublin Airport" was among its highlights in 2024. The consumer watchdog said it blocked the daa's attempted purchase of the former Quickpark site due to findings that it would lead to "higher prices, less choice and lower service quality for consumers." As a result, it said it facilitated the entry of a new competitor to the car park market at Dublin Airport. There was a 21% increase in merger notifications, with 71% of determinations last year made within 13.3 days under a simplified process. 2024 marked a significant milestone for the CCPC, which celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking what it described as "a decade of work promoting competition and enhancing consumer welfare." The Chairperson of the CCPC, Brian McHugh, said the annual report highlights the "vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy, from enforcing consumer law on retail pricing, to advocating proactively for reforming the legal sector to better serve the interests of Irish businesses and consumers." "Open, fair markets are the backbone of our economy's success, ensuring that whether consumers are making small everyday purchases or major financial decisions, their interests are protected," he added. "Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland." The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said the CCPC "continues to deliver for Irish consumers and businesses by ensuring our markets remain competitive, transparent, and safe." "Their work in 2024, from blocking anti-competitive mergers to removing dangerous products and empowering consumers through education, demonstrates the importance of strong, independent enforcement." Minister Burke said he will continue his close collaboration with the CCPC to ensure it has "sufficient powers and resources to effectively advocate for and enforce competition and consumer protection legislation." The commission said it responded to over 44,000 helpline contacts and received 1.8 million visits to its website throughout last year.
Irish Independent
9 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Sleep suits, toy trucks and car parking at Dublin Airport: some of the actions taken by the consumer watchdog last year
Through consumer complaints, referrals from European networks, investigations and work with Revenue, the unsafe products were recalled, removed or prevented from reaching the Irish market. Among the recalls were nearly 10,000 babies' sleep suits and more than 2,400 toy construction trucks. Successful prosecutions were brought against five retailers last year, with Tesco Ireland pleading guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with laws around the display of product prices on promotion for Clubcard holders. CCPC chairperson Brian McHugh said the annual report 'highlights the vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy'. "As we look ahead, it is clear that the CCPC's work is more important than ever and our vision for open and competitive markets where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete, remains at the heart of everything we do. 'Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland.' 'The CCPC continues to deliver for Irish consumers and businesses by ensuring our markets remain competitive, transparent, and safe,' Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said. 'Their work in 2024 – from blocking anti-competitive mergers to removing dangerous products and empowering consumers through education – demonstrates the importance of strong, independent enforcement.' Among the items highlighted in the report was the work done by the CCPC to block the sale of the former QuickPark car park site at Dublin Airport, an effort to prevent a monopoly in that market. In March of last year, the sale of the car park based on the Swords Road in Santry to the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) was blocked over concerns it would lead to higher prices and a lower quality of service for consumers. ADVERTISEMENT A CCPC investigation found the deal would have seen DAA own more than 90pc of public car parking spaces serving Dublin Airport, leading to 'harmful consequences for consumers'. Following the decision, DAA said it saw 'merit' in appealing, but decided against an appeal to ensure the car park's spaces got back on the market ahead of the busy summer period. The report also highlighted assistance provided to the Italian competition authority by the CCPC in an unannounced search of Ryanair's Dublin headquarters last year. The search in March 2024 came as part of an Italian competition law investigation into whether Ryanair was abusing its dominant position in the market to hinder travel agents from selling Ryanair flights. Claims that Ryanair abused its dominant market position were denied by the airline. In January, the airline lost an appeal to overturn a decision it cannot sue the Italian competition authority in Ireland over the search. The High Court had dismissed Ryanair's case against the Autorità Garante Della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) in June of last year.
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Consumer watchdog says Oasis tickets investigation is ongoing
Irish regulators are continuing to investigate multinational Ticketmaster over the sale of tickets to next month's Oasis gigs at Croke Park. Complaints from more than 100 people who sought tickets for the concerts on Saturday August 16th and Sunday August 17th in Croke Park, prompted the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to begin an investigation last September. The consumer watchdog confirmed on Wednesday that the investigation of Ticketmaster's handling of the Oasis tickets sale was 'active and ongoing' but added it could not comment beyond that. Announcing the investigation last year, Brian McHugh, commission chairman, warned that it would act if it found any breaches of consumer protection law. READ MORE The sale of tickets on August 31st last year sparked criticism from fans and politicians, who complained that 'dynamic pricing' meant some people were paying far more than others for seats in the same section of the stadium. In his statement, Mr McHugh acknowledged that businesses could react to customer demand but he stressed that the CCPC had legitimate concerns over how consumers were treated. The investigation is one of several enforcement actions taken by the commission under consumer law highlighted in its annual report, which it published on Thursday. Others include prosecuting supermarket chain Tesco for failing to include unit pricing on Clubcard promotional prices displayed in one of its Dublin stores. The CCPC is also waiting on trial date for the prosecution of 13 public transport companies suspected of bid-rigging in school transport contracts. The Director of Public Prosecutions is bringing the case. The commission safeguards consumers' rights, enforces laws outlawing price fixing and banning powerful companies from using dominant positions in their markets to stymie competition. It also oversees mergers to ensure that they do not damage commercial competition, leading to higher prices, lower quality and less choice for consumers. According to its annual report, the commission last year opened five new investigations into suspected breaches of competition law. It carried out dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation into the home alarm industry. The commission also removed or barred more than 178,000 unsafe products from the Irish market in 2024. Recalls included almost 10,000 babies' sleepsuits and more than 2,400 toy construction trucks, the commission noted. Mr McHugh noted that 2024 marked the commission's tenth anniversary. 'Open, fair markets are the backbone of our economy's success, ensuring that whether consumers are making small everyday purchases or major financial decisions, their interests are protected,' he said.
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Intervening on 'potential monopoly' in car parking at Dublin Airport a highlight for watchdog
Investigations into the Oasis ticket debacle, actions against retailers Temu and Shein, and dawn raids of home alarm companies were among the notable actions Ireland's consumer watchdog said it took last year. In its annual report, the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (CCPC) said that 2024 marked a significant milestone as it marked its 10th anniversary with 44,000 contacts to its helpline aimed at supporting Irish consumers. 'Our annual report highlights the vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy, from enforcing consumer law on retail pricing to advocating proactively for reforming the legal sector to better serve the interests of Irish businesses and consumers,' chairperson Brian McHugh said. 'As we look ahead, it is clear that the CCPC's work is more important than ever. Our vision for open and competitive markets, where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete, remains at the heart of everything we do.' It said that among its highlights was its successful intervention to prevent a 'potential monopoly' in car parking in Dublin Airport, when it blocked DAA's attempted purchase of the former Quickpark site. The watchdog suggested it stopped the deal after finding it would lead to higher prices, less choice, and lower service quality for consumers, while it facilitated a new entrant into the car parking market at the airport. Furthermore, it said that recent analysis it has conducted shows evidence that consumers have benefitted from increased competition for car parking business at the airport. While DAA itself said the move would be bad for consumers, it did not appeal the CCPC's decision. Unsafe products Elsewhere, the CCPC said over 178,000 unsafe products were either removed or prevented from reaching the Irish market — including 10,000 babies' sleepsuits and over 2,400 toy construction trucks. It also initiated 200 inspections, issued 47 fixed penalty notices, and gave 23 compliance notices to businesses suspected of breaching their obligations. Prosecutions were successfully brought against five retailers — including Tesco Ireland, which pleaded guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with the law in how they displayed the price of products offered on promotion to Tesco Clubcard holders. As well as the dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation in the home alarm industry, the watchdog said it also assisted its Italian counterparts through an unannounced search of Ryanair's headquarters in Dublin as part of an ongoing Italian competition law probe. Regarding tickets for the landmark Oasis concerts in Dublin next month, the watchdog said it received over 100 contacts to its helpline over the situation where fans faced huge prices to varying degrees for tickets as a result of 'dynamic pricing' being used by Ticketmaster. On foot of this, it said it launched an investigation into Ticketmaster Ireland and its handling of the sale of Oasis tickets last year. Mr McHugh added: 'Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland.'
The Journal
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Over 250 unsafe baby carriers, slings, and walkers removed from sale over non-compliance
LAST UPDATE | 36 mins ago OVER 250 BABY products, including baby carriers and slings, have been removed from online marketplaces such as Amazon and Shein following a Europe-wide operation involving Irish consumer protection officials. The authorities, including Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), examined some 1,741 listings as part of a major sweep of baby products for sale on online marketplaces. Authorities went on to send 252 takedown orders to providers of online marketplaces regarding dangerous products offered on their interfaces. The sweep followed the introduction of new product safety legislation in December 2024. Officers analysed the listings for compliance with minimum product safety information rules, which require clear details of the manufacturer and EU responsible person to be displayed. The CCPC said this information is 'crucial for the protection of babies and children from dangerous or faulty products'. Following the sweeps conducted in April and May of this year, 252 takedown orders were sent to the online marketplaces, regarding listings that failed to meet minimum safety and compliance information requirements or featured products that had already been recalled from the market. Advertisement Safety officers from Ireland's CCPC issued 72 of the EU's 252 takedown orders, which targeted baby carriers, slings, and baby walkers. All 72 listings were removed at the CCPC's request from sites including Amazon, Shein, Etsy, eBay, Fruugo and Joom. Of the 252 takedown orders, 155 related to 'very large online platforms' such as Aliexpress, Amazon, Shein, Temu and Zalando. The remaining 97 were sent to other, smaller platforms. Brian McHugh, chair of the CCPC, noted that many parents turn to online marketplaces for convenience when buying baby products and added that they 'deserve to know that those products are safe'. He said the CCPC's product safety officers issue recalls for tens of thousands of items every year and that traceability is 'critically important'. 'Online marketplaces have a duty to be transparent about what they're selling and provide contact details in the event a product is unsafe,' said McHugh. He added that the online marketplaces 'co-operated when we contacted them' and that the 'listings were taken down promptly'. 'The work of our officers, in collaboration with colleagues across the EU, has stopped hundreds of potentially unsafe products being offered for sale to Irish consumers,' said McHugh. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
