Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I commend Deputy Hogan for bringing forward the Consumer Rights Enforcer Bill 2004. We usually deal with motions during Private Members' time and I always commend Members on the opposite side of the House who take the trouble to prepare a Bill. On this occasion Deputy Hogan has done the House a service by providing an opportunity to discuss some important issues which arise in regard to consumer protection law. However, for reasons I will outline, the Government does not accept that legislation along the lines outlined by the Deputy is appropriate or timely. The proposed legislation does not take account of work that is ongoing in this Department or that is nearing conclusion in the consumer strategy group.

At the outset I apologise to the House for the absence of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin. He is on Government business overseas. Otherwise, he would be here to participate in the debate. The Minister has made it clear that making progress on the consumer agenda is a key priority for him in the immediate future.

I acknowledge the growing concern that Irish consumers are paying more for many goods and services than our counterparts in other European countries. I acknowledge concerns in the area of protection of consumers and that the Irish consumer deserves a fair deal. It is instructive to examine what has led to these concerns and particularly what can be done about them.

The pace of growth in the Irish economy over the past decade has been phenomenal, of which we can all feel justly proud. We are now the second richest country in the European Union, barely behind Luxembourg. We have gone from a situation where our best and brightest talent had to move abroad to earn a living to experiencing net immigration with an estimated 100,000 foreign nationals employed in the workforce. Unemployment has plummeted and there are more people at work now than ever before. Ireland remains one of the most attractive locations on the globe for foreign investment and the performance of Irish industry has been robust. Enterprise Ireland last year reported new export sales of €1 billion, and 60 new high export growth companies were established.

Against this background it is hardly surprising that the consumer agenda, which is extremely important for a modern market economy, has moved centre stage. The Fine Gael Party, for which Deputy Hogan prepared this legislation, has referred to it as the rip-off culture and cites the 22% increase in prices over the past four years or so, but the spokespersons always forget to mention the 37% increase in wages during that period. It refuses to acknowledge the significant cuts in income tax during that time and the fact that the minimum wage here is three times that of Portugal. People also tend to ignore the fact that Ireland is cheaper than every other eurozone country for items such as clothing and footwear. The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, is right to draw attention to the fact that damage is being done by the rip-off Ireland catch-cry. We must strike a balance between the need to name and shame, where appropriate, and to present a balanced picture of our overall level of costs and quality of service.

During the last general election campaign I pulled into a service station where a young fellow was filling a car with petrol. I was pleased that he recognised me and he mentioned in passing that his parents were voting for me. He said he would vote for me too if I reduced the price of insurance. I explained as patiently as I could that much work had been done but it would take most of two years before there was any substantial improvement.

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