Irish Water was established by the Irish government in 2013 as the sole supplier of public water services in Ireland.
MARKETS AND CONSUMERS
Markets where competition exists between sellers are good for consumers, as this usually results in lower prices and better quality. For example, competition in the retail grocery sector in Ireland has allowed households to reduce their grocery expenditure.
On the other hand, markets in which little or no competition exists are not good for consumers, as the few providers of the goods or services can charge whatever price they want. For example, Irish Rail is the only provider of a rail service in Ireland, so they can set prices without worrying about consumers switching to a competing service.
Price Discrimination
In some markets, different consumers are charged different prices for the same product or service. This is called price discrimination.
For example, students and pensioners are assumed to have lower incomes and are often charged lower prices for transport.
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Price discrimination is selling the same product at different prices to different consumers.
