CCPC publishes its Annual Report for 2024

4 September 2025

On 30 July 2025, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (the "CCPC") published its annual report for 2024, setting out an overview of the year's activities.

The CCPC, who celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2024, highlighted a year of significant regulatory activity, enforcement actions, and consumer engagement. The Annual Report also reflected the CCPC’s evolving role in safeguarding competition, protecting consumers, and adapting to emerging digital and market challenges.

In this article we will look at the key insights, figures, and strategic developments from the report, with a focus on enforcement, consumer protection, advocacy, and organisational growth.

Overview of the key highlights

The report showcased the work that the CCPC has been involved with throughout the year including:

Identifying a €1 billion estimated consumer detriment in Ireland;
Removal or prevention of 178,596 unsafe products from entering the market;
21% increase in merger notifications;
44,247 consumer contacts via their helpline;
Having 2.7 million views of RTÉ’s The Complaints Bureau, a CCPC sponsored show tackling real-life consumer issues; and
Hiring 65 new staff, bringing total staff to 261.

The Report also set out their work in relation to consumer and market protection, particularly in the below areas.

1. Enforcement and market oversight

Merger control

The CCPC has responsibility for ensuring that mergers and acquisitions are within the regulatory framework. Under the Competition Act 2002, as amended, they must consider whether the result of a potential merger or acquisition would significantly decrease the competition in a particular market.

In 2024, the CCPC reviewed 81 merger notifications, a 21% increase from 2023. Notably, 71% of determinations were made under the Simplified Merger Notification Procedure, with an average clearance time of 13.3 days.

A landmark decision of the year was the blocking of DAA’s acquisition of QuickPark on 21 March 2024, which would have created a monopoly in long-term airport parking at Dublin Airport. This intervention underscored the CCPC’s commitment to maintaining competitive market structures.
Competition law investigations

As part of the CCPC remit, they also carry out investigations into undertakings under their purview. These undertakings include any “…individual, body corporate or unincorporated body of persons engaged for gain in the production, supply or distribution of goods or the provision of a service”.

In the 2024 Report, the CCPC referred to their launching of 5 investigations into suspected anti-competitive practices, as well as conducting several dawn raids in Cork as part of a criminal investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices in the publicly funded transport industry.

The CCPC also supported the Italian authorities in a search of Ryanair’s Dublin HQ due to concerns around abuse of market dominance relating to Italian online travel agents, reflecting growing cross-border cooperation.

2. Consumer protection and product safety

Inspections and enforcement

205 inspections were carried out across 2024. This resulted in the issuance of 47 fixed penalty notices and 23 compliance notices. There were also 5 successful prosecutions for breaches of consumer protection law, including the high-profile case of Tesco Ireland and misleading promotional pricing, which involved the failure to display the unit pricing of products offered on discount to Clubcard holders. The enforcements above show the breadth of the CCPC's remit from fixed penalties through to full investigation.
Product recalls and safety

The CCPC’s market surveillance led to the removal or prevention of 178,596 unsafe products going to market, including:
1. 10,000 baby sleepsuits with suffocation risks;
2. 2,400 dangerous button battery toys; and
3. A campaign to replace dangerous gas hobs in over 1,700 homes.
The ability to monitor and recall products is a vital part of the CCPC's role and helps promote consumer safety across the board.

3. Consumer engagement and education

Helpline and website usage

The CCPC encourages engagement from consumers in order to ensure that they are aware of their rights, and as such, 44,247 consumer contacts were recorded throughout the year, showing a 13% increase year-on-year.

Consumers reported an average financial impact of €6,013 per issue. The CCPC website received 1.8 million visits, with 740,789 directed to the Money Tools section, which helps reflect what consumers are dealing with.
Media and outreach

As part of the CCPC's mission to inform and assist the general public, they collaborated with RTÉ on The Complaints Bureau, which garnered 2.7 million views.

Their social media followers increased by 7% reaching 57,000 and their media coverage was valued at €25.2 million across 6,176 mentions.

This highlights the CCPC's commitment to reach out to consumers across both traditional and newer, digital media forms.

4. Organisational development

To meet growing regulatory demands, the CCPC also expanded its workforce with:

35 new roles were sanctioned by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment which enabled the CCPC to recruit 65 new members of staff;
Total approved posts reached 261, a 16% increase; and
Staff turnover was 10.77%, below the national average.

New divisions were established for:

Digital markets;
Adjudication;
Data regulation; and
Surveillance.

The focus on the digital and data markets highlights the emerging markets and the necessity to inform and educate consumers about their rights and possible pitfalls.

Conclusion

The CCPC’s 2024 Annual Report reflects a regulator that is increasingly assertive, agile, and aligned with European enforcement trends. From blocking anti-competitive mergers to removing unsafe products, the CCPC continues to deliver meaningful outcomes for both consumers and markets.

As regulatory expectations grow, particularly in digital markets and consumer protection, businesses must adopt a more proactive approach to compliance and engagement. The CCPC’s expanding remit and investment in organisational capacity signal that its influence will only deepen in the years ahead.

How KPMG Law LLP can help

Any party preparing to engage with the CCPC on an investigation or enforcement action where they could be the subject of the exercise of a regulatory power, should approach those engagements with the necessary understanding of the relevant legal issues, including the operation of the principles of natural justice, and the requisite level of preparation and expert professional support.

Experienced lawyers from KPMG Law LLP’s Financial Services Regulation team can provide firms and individuals with confidential legal advice on these issues. If you have any regulatory or enforcement requirements or expectations, please do not hesitate to contact our team below.