Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, to the House and I am glad to contribute to this welcome Bill. The explanatory memorandum refers to provisions on pyramid schemes. I assume the provisions are new, as there have been many warnings on this issue, particularly in respect of last year's scam in County Cork.

In terms of consumer protection, advertising is of concern. Senator Norris referred to problems encountered when banks tell elderly people in particular that they can release their houses' equity. In the lunchtime news, some of the finance houses stated that elderly people are smart and can make up their own minds, but that advertising is over the top compared to what is available. It is not the only type of questionable advertising. Credit cards have been hyped considerably, but we all know of the charges imposed if people do not clear their credit card bills in time.

Like Senator McDowell, I do not shop around. It is not as easy to do as some believe, particularly if one lives in rural Ireland. This is not a matter of being the poor mouth. Regarding investigations into the price of home heating oil, I wonder how many operators are involved in so-called cartels. I have investigated the matter and found that people have been brought to court and prosecuted on home heating oil sales. Often, I have heard that there is little difference between the prices at which a town's pubs sell pints of Guinness. If one examines the price of drink in nearby towns and villages, the price is much the same.

This issue was brought to my attention by last weekend's debate on a petrol station on the quays that sells petrol at €1.35 per litre, approximately 35 cent dearer than most filling stations. As most filling stations charge less than €1 per litre, one could claim that they are involved in price-fixing. There is a strong argument concerning the location of petrol stations. More and more, stations are being closed and turned into property developments and apartments. As I find when travelling around my county, one does not have the same choice in terms of shopping around for petrol and diesel as one used to.

Last week on the national consumer agency's website, I read about a multi-million euro Spanish lottery scam that was becoming prevalent. Several consumers contacted the agency about the scam, which was intended to get people's financial information. Consumers were warned to be vigilant, advice that pertains to any Internet offer of millions of euro requiring one's financial information to be provided to unscrupulous people.

People are concerned about where they should go with their queries. The national consumer agency has had an interim board and an interim chief executive, but when people with particular concerns approach the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, they are told that such matters are dealt with by a new agency, the Financial Regulator, ComReg or another body. I brought a simple scam to the attention of the Minister. People were taking the numbers of car insurance certificates from the windscreens of cars and if they were involved in an accident, they would quote someone else's policy certificate number. I made a practical proposal that the insurance certificate number should be on the back of the disc or elsewhere in the car. The certificate number is a matter between the customer and the insurance broker. I have met people who saw their premiums increase because someone had used the number displayed on the disc. The Department should investigate this. When I raised the issue I was told it is a matter for the financial regulator but I am yet to receive a response from either the regulator or the Department to my inquiries about this scam. The law could be easily changed to address this; the car registration, engine capacity and make is already on the insurance disc and there is no need for the policy number to be displayed.

My colleague, Senator Cox, has long advocated changes in the way charges are imposed on credit card transactions. All young people know about the extra charges for tickets to concerts or sporting events or on other purchases. Previously, if someone made a booking with a credit card, he or she could pick up the tickets but now people are charged way over the odds just for the privilege of reserving a ticket. It is time to introduce legislation to change the way credit card schemes are operated. If the Department does not do it, a Private Members' Bill may be introduced to make the changes because fraud is taking place, with ticket touts involved, and it is not good for the consumer to have to pay over the odds when making a credit card booking.