The Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment said she accepted full responsibility for the errors that occurred when the merger between Guinness and United Beverages had not been referred in time to the Competition Authority.
Ms Harney told Mrs Nora Owen, deputy leader of Fine Gael that as it transpired the action taken by Guinness would have the same effect as the course she had intended to take.
She said Guinness had notified its proposed takeover of United Beverages to the Competition Authority on September 4th, seeking clearance of the proposal under the Competition Acts. "This means that the proposal is now being examined by the Competition Authority, and I understand that that the authority yesterday issued a detailed statement of objections which is currently being considered by the parties."
The Tanaiste said her August 8th referral was made out of time. Her Department had understood that the August 3rd deadline could be extended by making a further request for information. "This was queried by the Competition Authority and the Attorney General advised that the original deadline of August 3rd was unaffected by the request. As Minister, I take full responsibility for the errors that occurred." See also Business This Week