asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce what are the present regulations with regard to the display of the cash price, in addition to the hire purchase price, on goods offered for sale by hire purchase; what methods of inspection and verification are used by his Department to ensure that any such regulations are fulfilled; if he will state the number of prosecutions resulting from breaches of such regulations in each of the past five years; and what penalty was imposed in each case.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hire Purchase Regulations.
15.
The information to be given in visual advertisements of goods offered for sale on hire-purchase terms is regulated by the Hire-Purchase and Credit-Sale (Advertising) Order which came into operation on 1st April, 1962. Briefly, it requires that, in any such advertisement in which deposits, instalments or payment periods are mentioned, both the cash price and the total hire-purchase price shall be displayed in equal prominence with the other information.
Compliance with the Order is enforced by authorised officers of my Department who inspect premises, issue warnings where necessary and, if rectification of the offending matter does not follow, report the offenders for the purpose of prosecution. As a result of their reports, proceedings have been initiated against a number of offending traders.
As the Order only became operative in April 1962, a reasonable period for adjustment was allowed to traders. The proceedings I have referred to are, therefore, the first to be taken in respect of contraventions of the Order.