Madam, - It was with a sense of déjà vu that I read that the Tánaiste, speaking at Davos, announced her intention to "appoint a small group to advise on consumer issues and to provide a national voice for the consumer, independent of vested interests".
The National Consumer Advisory Council was set up by the then Minister for Industry and Commerce over 20 years ago, in October 1973. It was made up of representatives of industry, the retail trade, trade unions, farmers and consumers.
The Consumer Information Act 1980 resulted from its recommendations, which in turn had taken in proposals submitted by the Consumers' Association of Ireland, one of whose members, Joan Morrison, was the first chairman of the NCAC.
The present successful operation of the Small Claims Courts is also attributable in no small measure to its work. The council was summarily disbanded in 1984, when it was still carrying out sterling work under the very able chairmanship of Miss Mor Murnaghan, former head of Cathal Brugha Street College of Catering.
As to the "national voice for the consumer, independent of vested interests" the Consumers' Association of Ireland, a completely independent and non-profit-making organisation, has been trying to provide exactly that for over 30 years since its foundation in the late 1960s. CAI has also consistently lobbied the Government throughout that time for funding to enable it to do this on a larger scale than has been possible on limited resources to date. - Yours, etc.,
MARGARET GORMAN,
(Former council member,
National Consumer Advisory
Council and Consumers'
Association of Ireland),
Braemor Road,
Dublin 14.