Cynthia Busuttil
Consumer Protect in the offing
A new consumer protection agency is expected to be set up enjoying powers to monitor prices, give out information and deal with consumers' complaints.
The agency, called Consumer Protect, will be born through the reform of the existent Consumer and Competition Division and was announced by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech during a programme on Net TV last night.
He did not say when the agency would start operating, although a law on the division's reform is expected to be presented to Parliament by the end of the year. More information is expected in the coming weeks.
The agency will be divided into two directorates, one taking care of consumer outreach and a price observatory directorate.
The Nationalist Party had promised the setting up of such an agency in its electoral manifesto, which said that it was appropriate to monitor the prices of essential items, like food and medicines, with the aim of fighting an increased cost of living.
The agency will come after Malta bucked the European trend in the past years in terms of inflation, especially on food prices and medicines.
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E. Azzopardi
Oct 29th 2009, 07:40
Is this going to be taken seriously now? I believe it was there but then they said that the market will dictate prices and they will go down etc. This country is too small for that and those so called "experts" should know this. Knowing how things are being done in this country ( a fact) I am always sceptical about all these promises.
Ramon Casha
Oct 29th 2009, 06:25
How will this differ from the already-existing and functioning Consumer and Competition Division?
http://finance.gov.mt/page.aspx?site=CCD&page=default
P Sciberras
Oct 28th 2009, 15:42
I thought that a prices regulater does already exist and is already functioning,is it? Correct me if I am wrong.
Alex Tanti
Oct 28th 2009, 11:28
What lately Vince Farrugia advised about makes a lot of sense,
one ought to comment and suggest better at the same time.....
so well done for Mr. Muscat to come out with suggestions too.....
Did Alfred Sant/KMB/Mintoff ever speak on the same wavelenghts?
What has happened to the gonziPN slogan....flimkien kollox possibbli??
Edward Debono was quoted saying
how better it would be for Malta
if once national elections be over,
all our representatives work on a proactive mode....
and not waste much time, energy and
taxpayers funds towards petty propaganda
Anthony Roberts
Oct 28th 2009, 11:07
Joseph should take the credit for actually commenting that this had not been put in place yet, and until it does we are paying out a lot of money.
Joe Cordina
Oct 28th 2009, 10:59
Yes, this promise is being fulfilled (when? who knows), only after pressure from Joseph Muscat
Gianninu Saliba
Oct 28th 2009, 09:48
Another Nationalist electoral promise about to be fulfilled. Now, let's hope that Joseph doesn't try to take credit for it. He must understand, once and for all, that most of his 'suggestions' for the budget were not his or his advisers' ideas.