Tánaiste announces details of new consumer awareness board

The Tánaiste, Mary Harney, has announced details of a new consumer awareness board established in response to perceived profiteering by Irish retailers.

The board’s role is to ensure that consumers are informed of their rights and have effective and speedy means of redress if they feel these rights have been breached.

The body will be chaired by Ann Fitzgerald from the Irish Association of Investment Managers and is due to report to Ms Harney in December.

Announcing the membership and terms of reference of the board today, Ms Harney said: "We don’t have an effective consumer lobby in Ireland and I think it’s important that we seek to mobilise consumers.

"If we’re to have a culture where people get value for money, if we’re to have innovation and if we’re to reduce the cost of living in Ireland, we need active consumers and we need to empower consumers.

"The whole purpose of putting this group together is to look at issues purely from a consumer perspective."