Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State's positive response. As politicians, we sometimes recognise things that need to change but our good intentions get caught up in the tangled affairs of bringing new legislation forward. I would like to see some of these small and simple changes prioritised and pressure put on the drafting of legislation to bring forward amendments. Those amendments need to commence preparation today if a Bill is to be passed in the House over the next four or five months. That is the reality. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to convey to the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, a request that he have his officials start drafting amendments now, so that we can consider how this could be done. I recognise the CCPC's work but the reality is that it offers consumers an umbrella in the midst of a storm when we all know the umbrella will double in on itself unless the opportunity is there, with these companies, to facilitate the changes that are to be made. I also recognise that updating our consumer law to include the digital world is welcome. There are features that have emerged from the digital power of companies that we have not rectified. The reality is that fewer and fewer of these large companies have any front-facing, customer-facing staff who can be approached to make these changes. They operate remote and hidden systems designed to suck in customers but then lock them in. That is not a market operating fairly. My request to the Minister of State is not only to offer support for the principle here, but also to seek an instruction that amendments should now be drafted in order to make this a reality when we come to debate the substance in a couple of months.

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