John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to support this Bill about the regulation of gift vouchers and commend the Minister for progressing the legislation to this point and hopefully to completion. We are often accused in these Houses of not having common sense rules, regulations and legislation. This is certainly legislation that is badly needed. It has been talked about for some time and I am glad to see that it has reached this stage.

With the increased use of gift vouchers, especially at seasonal occasions such as Christmas or Easter, there must be clarity and protections for all stakeholders, especially the consumer. This Bill brings that protection. I did not realise until the Minister gave the figures that over €600 million annually is spent on gift vouchers. That is a large amount and great dynamic for businesses. It needs to be handled and regulated, though it is not an issue for the majority. Having mislaid vouchers over the years, I have found many businesses very co-operative, understanding and trusting. I saw a case in the media recently where a business honoured a voucher that was 15 or 20 years old. It is not a regulation for the majority but for the few that may have abused the system to a certain extent.

I think that five years is a reasonable time limit. I am glad to see that Chambers Ireland, Retail Ireland and so on fully support this time limit or do not object to it. I heard a discussion on the radio recently about the small number of businesses, one of which is not far from this establishment, where if a voucher was not spent in full, a person lost the rest of his or her gift voucher. That is outrageous and I am glad that this Bill addresses it. Vouchers are good for business and for consumers if everybody abides by the rules. Big businesses and small businesses need as much footfall and as many transactions as can be generated and gift vouchers are increasingly a vehicle to do that and will benefit from the clarity and protection in this Bill. Everyone is a winner here, including consumers and businesses. Hopefully the only ones who might lose a little bit will be some radio shows. Joe Duffy might have to fill in a few missing parts with another topic but that will be a sign that this Bill is successful. I wish the Minister well with it.