Results 16,741-16,760 of 24,010 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: In order to have a healthy supply chain, it will be important that the office assesses the issues which are important to those in the supply chain. If there are issues which are creating distrust or seem to involve a lack of clarity and transparency, the office should asses that. It will also have the capacity to develop codes of practices and engage with and make reports at all levels of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There is not specifically any measure in the Bill. I will ask my officials if there is anything to add. If it was found that the law was broken in some way, it would be open to the person who suffered the grievance to seek compensation, but the office itself does not determine compensation. It applies the law and oversees it and it can bring prosecutions in regard to it. In addition, it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I will ask Ms Robinson to make a further comment on it. The unfair trading practices that are included have been given a lot of thought and consideration at European level and apply across the European Union. It has been well examined and thought out. The legislation is providing for capacity within the primary legislation to amend those and for the Minister to amend them. I certainly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Cartel-like behaviour comes under competition law and I ask Mr. Kinsella to comment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The legislation will provide for adding more board members. The approach we are taking is that we feel we want to keep the board efficient. Its ultimate role here is to provide governance and oversight of the work. There will be an executive reporting to it. We felt a board of five plus the chairperson would be sufficient to do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is not in the Bill. I would be open to considering that as for many chairs, they would appear before a committee of the Oireachtas as part of the process. We do not have that provision at the moment. I will certainly reflect on that point and see if we would include it as part of the process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: How are we pair-wise? Deputy Carthy and I will pair with one another. The Chairman has got me in trouble now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I will report you to the Whip then, so, Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The point is that the proposed Bill provides the capacity to enact a levy, but it is not a requirement or an immediate plan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Standard practice for many bodies would be to lay out a report every three years. It is a reasonable timeframe. It is appropriate-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It will give progress reports, certainly, but it makes sense that you do a certain level of medium-term planning too and that there be consistency in that regard. I would imagine that if it was every year, the reports would be quite similar each year, whereas if you are doing it every three years, there is a bit more onus on you to review it a bit more strategically and plot it out on a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. It will be reportable to the Minister, etc.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. Where it relates to the listed unfair trading practices, the office will have those powers. Mr. Collins may want to go into the protocol on that to elaborate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is the same ones that are transposed in this proposed Bill.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. Anyone can make a complaint.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Individual farmers can make them, yes. Any supplier can.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: This is in relation to whenever a complaint is being investigated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: You could go at it either way but the key thing here is it is in legislation and a legal requirement for confidentiality for the complainant. The reason is to give confidence to anybody making a complaint they will be legally protected and their identity legally protected. This is strong in that anybody who is making a complaint can ensure that is the case, simply request that, and they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill 2022: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (29 Jun 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The office has been set up for a particular purpose, to ensure there is transparency and oversight of the unfair trading practices directive. It would be erroneous to require in law that it should follow up on every issue it regards as frivolous, having assessed them. Its legal obligation is to follow up on any complaint that it assesses as having merit. One of its key functions will be to...