Editorial

Finally, it seems the government's plans to tackle consumer protection on a sound basis are taking shape. However, it remains to be seen when such plans will actually be up and running.

Judging by the dilatory way things are done by the government, it will not be surprising if these will take far more time to be implemented than anyone could possibly imagine. Consumer protection is generally a hot subject and, yet, the people's expectation of speedy action by the government to tackle the problem has not been met with the attention it deserves, at least up to now anyway.

The latest news that has come from a government minister is that the new consumer protection agency that had been promised so many months ago, including in the Nationalist Party's electoral programme, will be called Consumer Protect. It will have powers to monitor prices, give out information and generally deal with consumers' complaints. The agency will have as a basis of its formation the existing government's consumer and competition division. No date has been given as to when it is expected to start operating but Finance Minister Tonio Fenech has said the relevant law on the division's reform was expected to be presented to Parliament by the end of the year.

Even though a new agency means an additional quango to the growing list - a matter that ought to receive greater consideration within the context of what the island can and cannot afford, given its minuscule size and financial constraints - Consumer Protect should, when it is set up, help check quite a number of anomalies that have been irritating consumers for so long. Of course, it would only be able to do this if it will also be empowered to name and shame errant producers or suppliers, something that is expected to be resisted by organisations representing the trade but which is essential to an organisation meant to look after consumers' interests. The agency would have to have teeth as otherwise its setting up would be a waste of money.

With one of the highest inflation rates in the European Union, Malta has lagged behind in work to check abuses. Consumers travelling abroad often find the prices of comparable goods at prices that are far cheaper than those available locally. Why should this be so? Even when taking transportation costs into consideration, the prices remain higher than those quoted locally. And it is not just the prices of medicines that are higher here; many other goods sell at higher prices as well.

Also particularly irksome to consumers are the generally higher prices of fruit and vegetables. How many times have ministers promised that the government planned to look into this over past months? The latest to comment about this was the Finance Minister who said in an interview with this newspaper: "We have to have a serious look at the way the market is organised, such as the pitkalija and other structures. We cannot allow prices to be controlled in the way that they are as this has been detrimental to the consumer. This is the area we really need to focus on. Statistics show that the two main elements that have pushed up prices over the last few months are, yes, energy, but also the fruit and vegetable sector." That was on September 3.

There are innumerable other instances where the consumer is getting a raw deal. Naming and shaming transgressors is a strong deterrent.