Results 13,501-13,520 of 16,369 for speaker:Peadar Tóibín

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: The amendment seeks to address the imbalance in the negotiation power in the supply chain. Providing for mandatory contracts gives a supplier a choice and the opt-out is there too. Some suppliers feel that their power within the supply chain is significantly reduced without this opportunity and this amendment seeks to resolve that imbalance.

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: A large number of producers are experiencing an increasing squeeze on prices. This is literally putting suppliers and farmers out of business. It is not just me that is saying this. Ms Mairead McGuinness, MEP, made a similar comment recently when she agreed with a suckler beef and tillage farmer from County Laois that the type of practices we are discussing are making it exceedingly...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: My amendment No. 72 is roughly the same. The majority of the population is actually in favour of legislation to ensure that farmers and other suppliers get fair prices. Three out of ten people believe that below cost selling of vegetables is of long-term benefit to consumers. In reality, below cost selling of products will not bring average or complete benefits to consumers. However, it...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: It is the cost.

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I welcome the Minister's clarification in this regard because it caused a great deal of fear in small businesses that were part of small organisations that did not have particular muscle or power within the system. The Minister's agreement in this regard will be greatly appreciated.

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I move amendment No. 43:In page 83, lines 19 and 20, to delete “or indirectly through franchise arrangements,”.Am I to take it that this amendment is defunct on the basis of the passage of amendment No. 38 and so on? The purpose of this amendment was to delete arrangements that dealt with franchises but as I believe the Minister has already conceded that point, I take it that...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: In many ways, the Minister's job is to manage the area of enterprise, innovation and jobs. I cannot think of another manager who would state that he or she did not wish to know a significant piece of information that would be a building block to that person's ability to manage the sector. It is inconceivable that anybody would shut the door and declare he or she did not wish to know. The...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I move amendment No. 37:In page 82, line 35, to delete “€50 million” and substitute “€10 million”.A large representative group, the IFA, made representations to all the political parties. The idea was that many of the products in the fresh produce sector would not come into the remit of the particular floor the Government had envisaged resulting in...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I move amendment No. 34:In page 82, line 12, after "goods," to insert "newspaper and magazine distribution companies".A number of organisations have made representations to me on how they are treated under the legislation. A large number of newsagents throughout the country feel the issue of newspapers and magazines should be included. One of their major fears is that an uneven balance of...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: There is hardly a grocery retail outlet which does not sell newspapers so it is a closely related product. My understanding is the newsagents' organisation went to the Competition Authority to seek redress because of what it felt was an imbalance. It did not have satisfaction and was forced to go to court, which added a large cost to a representative organisation which does not have massive...

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: Garden plants are a staple of the retail sector in recent years. This area raises again the issue of what constitutes a grocery good in 2014 and my later amendment will seek to widen this further.

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I move amendment No. 32:In page 82, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:“(d) garden plants, and (e) all other goods sold in grocery goods undertakings;”.

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: An interesting point has been raised. Could the Minister outline the possible outcome he would expect the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to seek in such circumstances?

Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report Stage (Resumed) (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I move amendment No. 20: In page 56, line 21, to delete “prevalent” and substitute “present”. We mentioned this on Committee Stage. There is a concern here. The issue is one of diversity. One of the main points of good media policy is to ensure proper diversity within the media and that media reflect diversity. I ask the Minister to accept this amendment.

Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: The programme for Government included a commitment to legislate for the end of upward-only rents. Yesterday's court judgment in a case involving Bewley's of Grafton Street means that rents can only rise and cannot fall to the market value. It seems that low and middle income earners can have their wages dictated to by the markets, but this does not apply to the landlords who own these...

Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: I am referring to the commitment in the programme for Government to legislate with regard to upward-only rents. The point is that this is a competitive disadvantage to the State. It costs jobs and exports. Indeed, a large number of businesses around the country have gone out of business as a result of upward-only rents.

Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: We often hear about the need for a focus on competitive advantages. This is an example of an advantage that the Taoiseach should consider. Sinn Féin has proposed its own legislation in this area. The legislation brought forward by Senator Quinn has been passed by the Seanad. When will the Taoiseach revisit this matter? I suggest that the advice received from the Attorney General on...

Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: That is not true.

Leaders' Questions (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: It is an interesting insight into the state of disarray within the Labour Party when Deputy Quinn is announcing his resignation as Minister for Education and Skills two days before the culmination of a leadership battle. His giving a resignation speech at the same time as Leaders' Questions is also a snub to the Taoiseach. I have a question regarding Irish Water. There are 750,000 people...

Leaders' Questions (2 Jul 2014)

Peadar Tóibín: That will happen because Irish Water will be forced to pay the full cost of the company and the provision of water to the citizens as required by the EU directive. When will citizens and households know how much they must pay for water? Will the Taoiseach tell the Dáil categorically that, as he previously stated, the average charge per household will not exceed €240?