Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has had any engagement with local authorities regarding the safe practice of Christmas markets in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38067/20]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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While I have responsibility for broad oversight of the local government system and specific responsibility for certain local government functions and services, I have no function in relation to the operation of Christmas Markets.

Local authorities are entirely independent corporate entities having full responsibility under law for the performance of their functions. The matter of the conduct of casual trading in public places, including Christmas markets, if they take place in a designated public area, is a matter that is proper to each local authority while taking full account of the wider public health guidance and advice from the Department of Health and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) in the context of the ongoing implementation and management of public health measures.

Under Section 6 of the Casual Trading Act 1995, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment delegates power to local authorities to ‘make bye-laws in relation to the control, regulation, supervision and administration of casual trading in its functional area’.