A new strategy group has been appointed by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, to advise on a national consumer policy.
And while any measure that may strengthen the voice of consumers is to be welcomed, this particular exercise could provide convenient camouflage for the Government's unwillingness to confront some powerful vested interests.
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has sought in the past to address Ireland's position as the State with the highest cost of living in the euro zone. But her partners in government consistently opposed initiatives that might upset a variety of interests. Three years ago, when the leader of the Progressive Democrats first spoke about changing the Groceries Order, which bans below-cost selling of foodstuffs in supermarkets and local shops, Fianna Fáil backbenchers and Independent TDs would have none of it, on the grounds that it would drive small shopkeepers out of business. The proposal was quietly shelved, even though the Fair Trade Commission and the Competition and Mergers Review Group had recommended, at different times, that the ban should be revoked in the interest of consumers and lower prices.
High inflation rates and rising food prices led to the issue being reopened under this Government. And the chairman of the Competition Authority, Dr John Fingleton, argued that increased competition in the retail trade, if the ban was removed, would bring down the cost of food and provide the equivalent of a 2 per cent pay increase to the average industrial worker. A review of the Groceries Order was undertaken within the Tánaiste's department towards the end of last year and an early decision was anticipated. But opposition to change from the Irish Farmers' Association, IBEC, RGDATA, the small multiples and the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, appears to have slowed that process. Now, with elections pending, a controversial decision appears unlikely.
The Tánaiste is correct when she says there is no really effective consumer lobby in this State. And efforts to put an end to what she described as "the horror stories of rip-off Ireland" should be encouraged. But whether recommendations from this new strategy group will give consumers more power, more voice and more influence without a transformation in political attitudes is highly unlikely. The new group has been asked to comment on existing and proposed legislation and to show, through objective studies, whether consumers are getting a fair deal. That review may include pricing and practices in the legal and medical professions, along with insurance and other issues. A report, to be completed within nine months, will be designed to ensure the views of consumers are taken into account in national debates on relevant business, trade and social policy issues. On the face of it, that is an almost impossible brief. Especially as the Tánaiste, who sits at the Cabinet table, has had such little apparent success in persuading her colleagues to vindicate consumer rights.