Vol. 181 No. 2
I move:
That it is expedient to authorise such payments out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas as are necessary to give effect to any Act of the present session to amend the law with respect to the hire-purchase, sale upon credit and letting of goods and for that purpose to amend the Hire Purchase Act, 1946.
Could the Minister give any indication of the amount likely to be involved in this Money Resolution? Is there likely to be any substantial enforcement cost? Is it not only for enforcement cost?
There will be practically nothing involved, I am told, or very little in any case.
Is it just, so to speak, the proportionate share of the cost involved in order to enable the Department officials to turn their eyes to this or is there something different? Does the ordinary Estimate not provide for the cost to the Department so that the officers in the Minister's Department can work on any legislation? When there is a Money Resolution as well, does that not mean that some other expense is likely to be incurred as apart from Civil Service salaries?
I am told that no other expense is likely to be involved apart from the proportionate amount of administrative cost applicable to this particular operation.
Who will actually enforce the regulations that the Minister may from time to time make?
The appointed officer will act on behalf of the Minister and will make inspections as necessary and give evidence in the event of prosecutions which may be brought in the name of the Minister.
That is what I want to know—how many such officers are there? The Minister has, first of all, officials in his Department who will do the actual indoor drafting as I may call it. Apart from that, will there not be outside enforcement officers? What will be the cost in relation to them? Will the work be done by special officers or is it to be done by inspectors under the shop or Factories Acts? If there are to be special officers, how many will there be?
The intention, initially at any rate, is to use existing officers of the Department to perform whatever duties may be necessary under this Bill. If ultimately there is a necessity to appoint extra officers, it will be possible to provide for them in forthcoming Estimates.
