Mr. Barry McGreal:

As I understand it, the Deputy is talking about consumers' statutory rights in terms of product liability outside warranty and guarantee periods.

These are currently set at six years in Ireland. I do not want to say definitively but I think that is the longest period in the EU. It is certainly among the longest periods. We have a strong position whereby consumers can already exercise those rights. The directive on the right to repair will not extend those rights beyond six years. However, in particular instances, it is laid out that certain items should be made reparable for periods of up to ten years or longer. While one will have the existing statutory right to exercise the right to repair for six years, the directive will, in certain instances, put a burden on manufacturers to ensure that spare parts are available in certain categories for longer periods. When one is outside one's statutory period, one will still be able to get a quotation for the repair of a product.