Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 December 2025
203. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the key measures taken in the area of consumer affairs and competition during 2025; his priorities for 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73146/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2025, competition policy continued to be a priority for my Department. Strong competition ensures a fair and transparent marketplace that supports both economic resilience and consumer confidence.
During 2025, my Department continued work to embed the Competition (Amendment) Act 2022, which allows, for the first time in Irish law, breaches of competition law to be dealt with through administrative actions taken by competition authorities. Maximum fines under this legislation are up to €10 million or 10% of total worldwide turnover, whichever is the greater. As part of this, a Chief Adjudication Officer was appointed in March 2025, and a number of adjudication officers were appointed in November. This will ensure that the CCPC has the necessary powers to effectively deal with breaches of competition law.
My department advanced a comprehensive National Market Surveillance Strategy (2025–2028) to strengthen consumer protection and fair competition, prioritising risk-based enforcement, enhanced cooperation among Market Surveillance Authorities, and implementation of new EU frameworks.
My department also continued its regulatory reforms to modernise frameworks and ensure they remain fit for purpose in a rapidly evolving market. These measures reflect Programme for Government priorities on better regulation and stronger consumer protection, while aligning with the EU Market Surveillance Regulation and the objectives of the National Market Surveillance Strategy. Recent actions include the introduction of three Statutory Instruments: amendments to Noise Emission by Equipment for Use Outdoors to streamline reporting obligations under Directive (EU) 2024/2839; updates to Simple Pressure Vessels regulations to strengthen enforcement and cooperation with Customs under Regulation (EU) 2019/1020; and revisions to Aerosol Dispensers regulations to reinforce compliance obligations and introduce penalties for obstruction, ensuring only safe and compliant products reach the EU market.
My department also played an active role in EU-level negotiations such as the revision of the Toys Safety and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directives during 2025. The Toy Safety Directive focused on strengthening safety standards for children’s products, addressing emerging risks such as chemical substances and connected toys, and the ADR Directive aims to adapt ADR to digital markets, broaden coverage of consumer rights and simplify procedures with traders through fast, affordable, and amicable procedures.
Ireland’s engagement reflects our commitment to high consumer protection standards and to shaping a harmonised approach across the Single Market.
Looking towards 2026, a Miscellaneous Bill is being prepared by my department to address key Programme for Government commitments relating to the CCPC and to strengthen competition and consumer protection enforcement as part of the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity. The Bill will seek to:
• Provide the CCPC with new powers to impose administrative financial sanctions for breaches of consumer protection legislation, ensuring stronger deterrence and consistency with competition law.
• Provide the CCPC with new powers to undertake bid-rigging screening, enabling proactive detection of anti-competitive behaviour in procurement—a measure of enhanced importance given the State’s ambitious capital expenditure plans. Empowering the CCPC to effectively detect and punish bid-rigging has the potential to save a significant amount of public money and ensure that businesses who act ethically are able to successfully tender for public projects.
Other priorities in 2026 include the transposition of the Empowerment of Consumers for the Green Transition and the Right to Repair Directives, which together help underpin and support the changes needed to help achieve climate and environmental aims. In addition, the transposition of the new EU Product Liability Directive into Irish law will modernise liability rules for defective products, including those incorporating digital elements, ensuring legal certainty for businesses in line with the evolving Single Market framework.
As part of the Irish Presidency in July 2026, my department will chair the council Working Party on Competition and the Working Party on Consumer Protection and Information. My department will also host a Consumer Attaché event in July, EU Competition Day in October, the Consumer Summit and Informal Consumer Ministerial meeting in November.
The work of my Department on these matters is aims to simplify regulatory processes for businesses, strengthen competition, and reinforce Ireland’s consumer protection regime.
