The government's long-awaited Consumer Protection and Competition Bill, which will make provisions for the establishment of a Code of Practice governing retailer-supplier relations, will 'hopefully' be published in October, according to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation.
A Department spokesperson told Checkout: "The Programme for Government contains a commitment to enact legislation to regulate certain practices in the grocery goods sector. Legislation currently being prepared by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will include specific provisions to allow for the regulation of such practices.
"Work on drafting this legislation (the Consumer Protection and Competition Bill) is progressing and is at an advanced stage. It is hoped to publish the Bill in October."
Checkout sought further information from the Department following an admission by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney last week that the legislation was due "in a matter of weeks."
The Department spokesperson added: "Implementation of the measure will depend on the Bill’s passage through the Oireachtas. In developing the legislation, the findings of two public consultations in the matter were taken into account, as was the report of a facilitator appointed to examine the possibility of getting agreement on the voluntary code of practice."
© 2013 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
