Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Niall Collins for bringing forward this Private Members' Bill. The Bill aims to address an issue that causes frustration for many people dealing with gift vouchers. Often, it is only when people go to use these vouchers do they find that the vouchers can be out of date and worthless. Other consumers are affected when the value of their voucher is run down through fees and charges by the company they purchased it from, due to the voucher not being used within a certain period of time.

Due to a complete absence of regulation this is a very grey area and consumers do not know what rights they have while using these products. Deputy Collins referred to the annual spend of €300 million on gift cards and gift vouchers. This is an enormous spend, and clearly action needs to be taken to ensure protection for the thousands of consumers who buy these products each year.

I acknowledge that the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, has also indicated her intention to bring forward her own legislation, which I believe highlights the requirement for action in this area. I hope the Minister can bring forward her solutions soon so we can deal with this problem. It is Deputy Collins, however, who has raised the issue and forced the Government into action on the matter. I note that the same thing has happened with my Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill 2017.

This Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill proposes that companies have to inform consumers in advance about fees that can be charged on the vouchers. Had Deputy Collins considered a cap on those charges or fees to a percentage of the gift voucher value? I suggest this because some of the fees can be extortionate and this would strike a balance between the costs of servicing the voucher and the consumer’s rights.

I have been in contact with a business that wanted me to raise an issue that will arise for them with changes in this area. This particular company sells vouchers for specific described services such as events like motorised racing experiences or hot air balloon trips and so on. A monetary value is not specified for these vouchers, which is why they are often an attractive option for gifts. The company has highlighted the effect a five-year timeframe could have on its business because the cost of an event when the voucher is purchased could be very different to the cost five years later. Insurance and fuel costs are constantly jumping, always higher of course, and we can see the company's concern. I ask that Deputy Collins and the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, consider this when they are progressing their respective Bills, to see if a solution can be found for this particular situation.

Many retailers are very flexible in this area already. Most retailers honour gift vouchers or do not put expiry dates on them. The time period for expiry, however, is a problem in many other instances and legislation is needed to regulate this area.

Sinn Féin supports the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2017. I hope the Bill is not held up by the Government and that we can move forward to regulate this area.

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