Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On the right to repair, it is really important that we can repair goods. What does the right to repair mean? It means having access to product manuals, parts, the information on how to fix something and the relevant software. It also comes down to the design of the product. For example, with a mobile phone that has been glued together, with the battery glued to the case, it is much harder to change the battery than with a the phone that is screwed together.

How does one know before one buys a product how repairable or durable it is? Deputy Bacik referred to an information imbalance between the corporate sector and the person buying the product and that has to be corrected. The work that is being done on this at EU level, in which I have participated at the Council of Ministers, is critical. The next stage in that work is going to be negotiation between member states at the Council and the result of that will be a new eco design directive. I would expect that in a future where there is a right to repair, when people go into a shop they will see a rating on products showing their repairability and durability in the same way that they see an energy rating on white goods at the moment, which was the result of the previous eco design directive. People will be able to see whether the product can be repaired and they will have an absolute right to manuals, parts and so on.

While I am very keen that all of that works, this work is happening at an EU level and whatever is done there will then be transposed into Irish law. I hope I am here to do that when it happens but I am not planning to put a different right to repair into Irish law before we get there. Repair cafés are a part of that and also men's sheds which were referenced by Deputies O'Rourke and Cronin in an earlier amendment. These are places where people share knowledge on how to fix things and are a critical part of the circular economy. Our circular economy strategy recognises this and commits to a circular economy for consumer goods, with a focus on the repair sector and helping traditional tradespeople like shoemakers, tailors and so on to succeed in the future. We are talking about a return to the types of industries that were around in our parents' and grandparents' era. I am not going to accept these amendments given the work being done at EU level. A new regulation on eco design is likely to come through shortly and a proposal for a directive to empower consumers for a green transition through better protection against unfair practices and better information, which will address the information imbalance between the seller and the buyer. With that in mind, I am rejecting these amendments but will be working on them at EU level instead.