99 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions she intends to take arising from a number of surveys conducted since the introduction of the euro which showed that Irish consumers are paying well above the European norm for many goods; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3329/02]

I am aware of a number of surveys undertaken recently which have compared prices charged for various products in Ireland to the prices charged for the same products in other EU member states. They showed that Irish consumers pay higher prices in some cases and lower prices in others. I am also aware that there have been some complaints that not all of the comparisons were valid and, accordingly, that the surveys were flawed in some respects.