Competition body accused of exaggerating price claims

rondjon

Breakingnews.ie - 31/08/2005 - 14:39:38

The Competition Authority has been accused of exaggeration in a report it used to back a call for the abolition of the Groceries Order.

The accusation was made by a consultant hired by the Oireachtas committee on enterprise and small enterprise to study the contentious report.

The Competition Authority had claimed that CSO figures showed that the order, which bans below-cost selling, was fuelling increases in the price of food.

However, speaking before the Oireachtas committee today, consultant Myles O'Reilly said the authority had selectively chosen the statistics it used in order to suit its case.


Anyone see who this guys consultancy clients are - from his site - a selection of clients.

http://www.orc.ie/clients.html#clients

Food Processing
Food Wholesaling
Grocery Retailing
Department Stores
Drinks Industry

A hint of vested interest in my opinion. Fair enough he's the government consultant, but look a the kinds of people that are paying his bills.

MorningStar

I can't believe that the government needed experts to explain simple maths. The competion authority are as bias as anybody else with their press releases.
The government are protectionary but to ignore all the people they are protecting is also a little short sighted. Everybody just assumes it is big business without thinking. If every business in this country is non-Irish the money will not stay in the country it's that simple. No point in cheap goods if we can't afford them.

WizZard

rondjon wrote:

the authority had selectively chosen the statistics it used in order to suit its case.

Isn't that what statistics are for?

rondjon

WizZard wrote:

Isn't that what statistics are for?

Not arguing that point. My concern is that a Government committee, albeit itself full of vested interests, has used our money to use someone that I don't think is independent enough to try to justify keeping in place an anti-competitive piece of legislation.

parsi

Well in this case its a case of Vested Interests v Vested Interests !

I mean RGDATA and IBEC on one side v the multiples on the other - I don't have sympathy for either side and tbh I don't think I'd trust either side !

article6

parsi wrote:

Well in this case its a case of Vested Interests v Vested Interests !

I mean RGDATA and IBEC on one side v the multiples on the other - I don't have sympathy for either side and tbh I don't think I'd trust either side !

Isn't it a bit of a stretch to say the Competition Authority is a vested interest like the large supermarket multiples?

rondjon

My point above was made in the Tribune yesterday as well. Apparently this "expert" used to work with/for IBEC in the past as well.

Like asking a turkey to make a submission on whether or not to keep Christmas.