Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the way in which his Department intends to meet the consumer strategy group's recommendation to apply a consistent approach to casual trading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18079/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The consumer strategy group recommends that a consistent approach to casual trading be applied across all local authorities and that this be done by means of statutory guidelines. The Government in its decision on the report of the consumer strategy group decided to establish a high level interdepartmental committee to examine the recommendations and report back to Government within three months with a detailed implementation plan.

This recommendation will be considered by the high level committee along with all the other recommendations. Without wishing to pre-empt the conclusions of the high level committee the logical way to implement this recommendation is to amend the Casual Trading Act 1995 to provide that I, as Minister, could issue statutory guidelines as how casual trading should be regulated in a consistent way throughout the country. Such guidelines would cover issues such as types of licences, criteria for setting of fees, appropriate pitch sizes, etc. In this context, I will consult local authorities and traders within the coming weeks on a set of voluntary guidelines. If these are accepted, they will go a long way towards standardising and making fair the operation of casual trading laws throughout the country.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if quality of after care service and customer care generally will be specifically covered in the new consumer agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18110/05]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The consumer strategy group in its report published on 18 May 2005, stressed the need for businesses to provide high standards of service and customer care. One of the group's specific recommendations relates to the promotion of codes of practice by all businesses and the establishment of private sectoral complaints boards as alternative means of redress for consumers.

The Government was very pleased to accept the core recommendation contained in the report of the consumer strategy group and has approved, in principle, the establishment of a new national consumer agency. The recommendations of the CSG in relation to customer service will be fully taken into account when preparing the legislation to give effect to the new agency which clearly will have the promotion of customer care and high standards of service as an integral part of its remit.