Rip Off Republic statistics backed
The Central Statistics Offices today backed grocery prices used on RTE’s controversial "Rip Off Republic" programme which Government politicians had dismissed as inaccurate.
The hugely-successful show fronted by Eddie Hobbs recently used Competition Authority data to argue for the 1987 ban on below-cost selling of household goods to be scrapped.
Government politicians, including Oireachtas Enterprise and Small Business Committee chairman Donie Cassidy, claimed the information was different to official statistics compiled by the CSO.
However CSO director general Donal Garvey today told the Oireachtas Committee that there the Competition Authority data was similar to its own figures.
Mr Garvey explained that the Competition Authority takes prices for June of each year whereas the CSO takes the overall 12-monthly average.
“But the basic story is the same,” he explained.
“Over the 18-year period, inflation in the items covered by the Groceries Order was about 9% higher than the other items not covered.”
The Oireachtas Committee and industry bodies wants the ban on below-cost selling to remain to protect small shops from big retailers.
However the Competition Authority and the newly-formed National Consumer Agency want it scrapped to bring down prices for consumers.
Rip Off Republic, which has highlighted high prices for groceries, entertainment and transport, attracted 778,000 viewers on Monday night.
Enterprise Minister Micheal Martin is due to make a decision in early October on whether to retain the ban on below-cost selling.
Speaking after today’s meeting, Mr Cassidy refused to be drawn on whether the ’Rip off Republic’ had contributed to the debate on the Groceries Order.
“The Groceries is much more important than a TV programme, however good it is,” he said.
“Below-cost selling affects every man, woman and child in the country.
“The consumer has to come first in all of this and I want to create a constructive debate on the issue through the Oireachtas Committee that I’m chairman of.
