asked the Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism when he intends to introduce legislation to control mobile chip vans which trade on the public street.
Written Answers. - Casual Trading.
44.
The Casual Trading Act, 1980 requires that persons operating mobile chip vans may not engage in casual trading unless they hold a current casual trading licence.
The Act also empowers local authorities to designate the places in their functional areas where casual trading may be carried on and, when they have designated such places, it is an offence to engage in casual trading elsewhere. In addition to confining traders to specified places, local authorities can regulate such trading by means of by-laws (which the authorities are empowered to make) and by conditions attached to casual trading permits, which are granted by the local authorities to casual traders.
I am satisfied that the Act gives local authorities all the powers they need to determine the places where mobile chip vans may trade and otherwise regulate them so as to eliminate any traffic, environmental and other problems associated with such trade.