Vol. 454 No. 7
42 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if his Department has examined the implications of the recent Package Holidays and Travel Trade Bill for the 100 plus incoming tour operators; and if his Department has informed these operators of the full legal implications of this legislation. [10771/95]
83 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if he has fully examined the implications of the recent Package Holidays and Travel Trade Bill for the 100 plus incoming tour operators; and if his Department has informed these operators of the legal implications of this legislation. [11037/95]
I intend to take Questions Nos. 42 and 83 together.
The Package Holidays and Travel Trade Bill, 1995 which is currently before the Seanad transposes EU Directive No. 90/314/EEC on package travel, package holidays and package tours into Irish law.
Where an Irish tour operator puts a package together and markets it direct to the final customer, that tour operator becomes a package organiser under the Directive. The provisions of the Directive as transposed into Irish law by the draft legislation apply to him.
This position obtains whether the customer is Irish and the holiday is to be spent in Ireland or abroad, or the customer is resident in another EU member state and is being brought into Ireland on holidays.
The Bill is a consumer protection measure which sets out the ground rules regulating the travel contract between the tour operator, the retailer and the customer and also for the security to be provided by the package provider in the event of insolvency. My Department has had extensive consultation with the travel trade to explain the implications of the Bill for the members of the trade.
