asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce what measures are taken to ensure that articles which are sold labelled "Made in Ireland" are in fact manufactured in this country, and not imported.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Labelling of Goods.
45.
The importation of goods labelled in this way would be prohibited by the customs authorities. In the case of goods labelled after importation, it would be open to the purchaser to take legal action.
The labelling of goods in this manner is an offence punishable under the Merchandise Marks Acts.
Are any other measures taken to ensure that articles with the label "Manufactured in Ireland" are in fact manufactured here and would it be possible for goods to be imported without the customs authorities seeing them?
I gather they are normally detained——
Is every product or article imported here examined or is every consignment of articles examined?
I am not clear about the extent of the examination but I am informed that normally the customs authorities detain all articles so labelled, and so I presume there must be an examination, and a fairly full one.
If the goods were so labelled, would the onus be on the person——
Yes; there is no formal machinery to investigate this, but the labelling of goods in this manner is punishable under statute and the purchaser could put the machinery into operation.
In point of fact, are there many articles which are not manufactured here and are so labelled and does the Minister's Department take steps to stamp this out?
Any article which it is attempted to import with such a label is not permitted in by the customs authorities.
Are many articles involved? Does this occur frequently?
Is this practice widespread?
The importation is stopped. It is not a practice; it is something that is stopped by the customs authorities. I do not know to what extent it is attempted.
Mr. O'Leary
Is the Minister aware that there have been complaints by purchasers who were anxious to follow out the dictates of the Buy Irish Campaign that they bought articles and found that, although otherwise labelled, they had not been made in Ireland? Has the Buy Irish Campaign Committee taken any action in this regard?
The complaints should be made to the Guards or to my Department rather than——
Mr. O'Leary
It is on a sort of voluntary basis?
There is no formal inspecting organisation for this.
Is the Minister satisfied that in the case of articles made in Japan, and which is so stated in Irish on the articles, it is misleading to foreigners who cannot read Irish?
That is a separate question.
Would the Minister take note of the fact that in the case of a teaspoon on which is marked "Déanta sa tSeapáin" it might be thought that this is the Irish for teaspoon?