Public Consultation on Irish Consumer Protection Law

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has launched a public consultation on proposed reforms to Ireland's consumer protection framework. Key measures include administrative fines for consumer law breaches and enhanced consumer rights. Our Data & Technology team outlines the consultation.

What you need to know

• The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment have launched a public consultation on the proposed Consumer Protection, Competition and Enforcement Bill 2026.
• Key features of the proposal include giving the CCPC the power to impose administrative fines and strengthening consumer rights, particularly to clarify the law on price reductions and contract cancellations.
• Responses to the consultation should be sent by 5pm on Friday 27 February 2026.

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) has launched a public consultation on the proposed Consumer Protection, Competition and Enforcement Bill 2026. The stated aim of the legislation is to strengthen consumer protection and enforcement in Ireland. The consultation seeks input on legislative measures designed to:

• Enhance consumer rights
• Promote fair competition, and
• Provide for stronger consumer protection law enforcement tools

Key consumer protection law proposals

The main areas under consideration are:

• Administrative financial sanctions – DETE is seeking feedback on giving the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) the power to impose direct fines on businesses for egregious or systemic breaches of consumer protection law. Currently, the CCPC has to prosecute traders through the courts. However, DETE is consulting on whether to grant the CCPC the power to directly fine traders, similar to powers currently held by: the Irish Data Protection Commission for breaches of the GDPR, Coimisiún na Meán for breaches of the Digital Services Act and the Central Bank of Ireland under financial services legislation.
• Strengthened consumer rights – DETE is also consulting on options to strengthen consumer rights, for example, clearer rules on price reductions and contract cancellations, and updating the Consumer Rights Act 2022 to clarify remedies for prohibited practices.

Similarly, the consultation is seeking stakeholder views on giving the CCPC the power to screen public procurement data for detecting bid-rigging.

The proposals are part of a wider trend towards stronger rights for consumers and greater enforcement of consumer protection laws.

How to respond

Submissions should be emailed to conspol@enterprise.gov.ie by 5pm on 27 February 2026, including the respondent's name, organisation (if applicable), contact details, and a brief description of their interest in the subject matter. All submissions will be published on the Department's website unless commercially sensitive information is identified and explained.

For more information, contact a member of our Data & Technology team.