Vol. 466 No. 7
160 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the additional protection, if any, available to a consumer from firms which are awarded ISO 9002 certification; the protection, if any, available to a customer who is dissatisfied with the service delivered by such a company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12305/96]
ISO 9002 is a voluntary standard which operates on a non-mandatory basis and does not certify a product but a management system. The rights of consumers are protected under consumer protection legislation.
ISO 9002 as an international standard for quality management requires that a company registered for this standard operates to defined procedures, thus assuring consumers that quality standards are being met. It is a requirement of the standard that a registered company maintains an effective complaints handling procedure. This procedure is audited on an ongoing basis by NSAI to ensure that it is effective in addressing complaint issues.
