Sir, – Inflation and the rising cost of living have become the new catch-all explanations for increasingly random price rises. Last year Covid and Brexit took pride of place when explaining every political and economic problem, and when justifying profiteering and poor service.
Consumers need certainty: we need to know what levels of price increases across all products should be expected. “Shopping around” is productive only if the consumer has dependable information that allows them to assess where there is value and where there is profiteering. Comparative analysis of prices is not useful when there is no credible benchmark.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (CCPC) needs to live up to its name and protect and support consumers.
The current reactive responses mooted by politicians are muddying the waters and allowing panic and hysteria to dominate. – Yours, etc,
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AISLING KEARNEY,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I note from your report on St Patrick’s Day trips for Ministers that Minister of State at the Department of Finance Sean Fleming will be travelling to Scotland and the north of England to mark the festival.
I trust that he will heed his recent budgetary advice to the nation and shop around before booking his tickets. He could achieve considerable savings for the taxpayer by travelling with a budget airline and staying in one of the many budget hotels in the region, such as Travelodge or Premier Inn.
I look forward to hearing details of his itinerary. – Yours, etc,
FERGUS LYNCH,
Dublin 15.