Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 54: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the number of on-the-spot fines for breaches of consumer law imposed to date under the terms of the Consumer Protection (Fixed Payment Notice) Regulations 2007; the type of breaches in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23966/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Consumer Protection (Fixed Payment Notice) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 689 of 2007) came into effect on 13 October 2007. Responsibility for enforcement of these Regulations is a matter for the National Consumer Agency and I have no direct function in the matter.

I am informed that to date payments have been paid in fourteen cases in response to fixed payment notices served by Authorised Officers of the National Consumer Agency. In a further two cases in which individuals served with fixed payment notices have chosen not to make payments, the National Consumer Agency has initiated, or is initiating, court proceedings in respect of the alleged offences.

All of the fixed payment notices in respect of which payments have been made, or court proceedings are pending, involve alleged offences under the European Communities (Requirement to Indicate Product Prices) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 639 of 2002).

I wish to clarify for the record that, based on information supplied by the National Consumer Agency, a response to a previous Parliamentary Question of 30 April 2008 on this subject stated that one fixed payment notice was issued for an alleged breach of the Retail Prices (Beverages in Licensed Premises) Display Order 1999 (S.I. No. 263 of 1999). The position has now been clarified and is as outlined above.