Donegal consumers must get a fair deal on price, choice and quality in their weekly shopping basket – that’s the view of Tánaiste  and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan,

Speaking at the Dublin offices of the National Consumer Agency, she claimed that progress has been made in recent weeks in tackling rising prices.

“Consumers are starting to ‘switch-on’ to the benefits of shopping  around  and splitting their shopping basket between different  retailers. This change in consumer behaviour is starting to affect enhanced competition between  retailers.   All of this is welcome progress, but it is clear that we still have some way to go,” she declared.

She addec that the primary roles of Government are to arm consumers with  all  the  necessary  facts and figures to make an informed choice  and  to ensure that there is effective competition at all levels of the supply chain.

Ms.  Coughlan  also  said that multiple retailers also have a duty  to  their  customers  to  explain why such a large price differential remains  for  the same basket of goods between the two jurisdictions on the island.   “While retailers have said that the cost of doing business in the Republic  is  greater  and  that  this accounts for the price differential, given  the  appreciation of the euro against sterling over the past year, I have  asked  the  national policy and advisory board, Forfás, to assess the relative  cost  of  doing  business in both jurisdictions.  They are due to report to me in September and I await those findings with interest.”

However, her comments have been criticized by opposition parties who say that the most recent drop in the inflation rate was due to external factors and not government policy.