The director of consumer affairs plans to prosecute 11 pubs in Kilkenny for failing to display price lists during the Smithwick's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival.
Carmel Foley said the majority of 22 premises on the festival trail were found to have been in breach of a 1999 retail price display order in inspections last Wednesday on the eve of the festival's opening.
Follow-up inspections two days later showed that 11 premises were still not displaying the lists. Ms Foley said these premises were now being prosecuted.
"Customers have the right to know in advance the prices they will have to pay for drink in pubs. They also have the right to compare the prices in different premises. Publicans who fail to display prices in accordance with the legislation will be prosecuted.
"The original intention of these inspections was to check whether publicans would increase their prices for the period of the comedy festival. Previous inspections in Dublin prior to rugby internationals had uncovered a number of instances of festival pub-price increases.
"The absence of price displays in so many Kilkenny pubs prior to the comedy festival made full comparisons impossible, thus denying consumers access to information to which they are legally entitled."
