asked the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy if it is intended to introduce legislation to control or abolish trading stamp operations in the State.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trading Stamp Operations.
8.
Yes. A Bill to make trading stamp schemes subject to statutory control will be circulated to members of the House during this session.
Is the proposal to control or to abolish?
At this stage I am not in a position to inform the House whether it would be a decision to abolish or control. However, it would be proper for me to say that there is no specific intention to abolish at this stage.
May I further ask the Minister whether, in the context of the proposals that may emerge by way of a Bill in due course, the matter of discriminatory placing of these trading stamps with one trader rather than another will be taken fully into account? Secondly, may I ask—the major trading stamp operators operate outside the country rather than within—whether that matter would be dealt with and perhaps changed? Thirdly, in regard to this whole matter, will it be fully taken into consideration that for every £4 paid by a trader for stamps not more than £1 of those £4 ever goes back to the customer? Would not it be better for the consumer all round, if prices were lowered by the amount the stamps cost? The true saving would then be in the pockets of consumers rather than in the pockets of some of these get rich quick merchants, not alone within the country but outside it.
All of the matters raised by the Deputy have been taken fully into consideration in preparing legislation which would be acceptable and fair, as far as that is possible, right across the board.
The Minister of State has said that she intends introducing legislation this session. Surely at this stage she must know whether she is talking about abolition or control, and would she let the House know?
I think the Minister answered that question.
I did.
I do not think so. I think she evaded the question and did not tell us whether she had in mind control or abolition.
At this stage I would say that it would be a matter, first of all, for the Government to see the legislation and, secondly, for me to inform the House as to what is in the legislation when it is introduced.
I was not aware that the Government had not seen the legislation.
Since this matter has yet to be finally decided and in all the circumstances—more than we could talk about here—might I appeal to the Minister that abolition would seem to be the only way to deal with this outfit?