Written Answers. - Statutory Instruments.
Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:
64
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
the proposed statutory instruments being prepared in, or under the auspices of, her Department; the proposed effect of each; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
[13254/99]
Statutory instruments are being prepared, or will be prepared, to transpose the EU Directives due for implementation by secondary legislation which are referred to in my reply today to an earlier question. Details of other statutory instruments being prepared are set out as follows:
A draft statutory instrument has been prepared in order to introduce penalties for breaches of the recent extension of the EU-UN trade embargo against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This draft S.I. is currently with the parliamentary draftsman's office.
Draft statutory instruments are currently being prepared to repeal a number of statutory instruments which introduced penalties for breaches of the EU-UN trade embargoes against Libya, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the Serb controlled areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina, all of which have been lifted.
A draft statutory instrument has been prepared to replace the Control of Exports Order, 1966, in order to fully reflect the munitions control list of the Wassenaar Arrangement and to reduce the level of export control on other items listed in the 1966 Order, such as shotguns. This draft S.I. is currently with the parliamentary draftsman's office.
I recently signed regulations entitled "Competition Authority (Witness Summons) Regulations, 1999" in exercise of my powers under S23(1) of the Competition Act, 1991. The regulations will be assigned a statutory instrument number and will shortly be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The purpose of the regulations is to prescribe a procedure to allow the Competition Authority to summons witnesses, under the Competition Act, 1991, and the Competition (Amendment) Act, 1996.
The Dangerous Substances (Petrol Stations) Regulations, 1999 are being prepared to amend the regulations governing petrol stations, that is, Dangerous Substances (Retail and Private Petroleum Stores) Regulations, 1979 as amended by the Dangerous Substances (Retail and Private Petroleum Stores) (Amendment) Regulations, 1988 (S.I. No. 303 of 1988).
Regulations under section 25 of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997, entitled Organisation of Working Time (Records) (Prescribed Form and Exemptions) Regulations, 1999, are at present in course of preparation. The purpose of these regulations will be to prescribe the form of the records to be kept by employers under section 25 of the Act in order to show that they are complying with the requirements of the Act, and, to provide for exemptions from the requirement under section 25 of the Act to keep such records.
A S.I. is being prepared under section 121(1) of the Companies Act, 1990, regarding the naming of certain companies the object of insider dealing in the annual report of the Irish Stock Exchange.
A S.I. is being prepared under section 22(1) of the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997 to provide for inclusion of takeover panel supervision of Irish registered public limited companies whose securities are not listed on the Irish Stock Exchange.
Draft life assurance disclosure regulations are currently undergoing legal drafting in the parliamentary draftsman's office. They will be based on a specific enabling provision in the Insurance Bill, 1999, which is due to be published later this year. The essential rationale behind the proposals is to rectify the failure within the market as a whole to provide adequate information to the consumer in the marketing and selling of life assurance products and, as a by-product, to generate more competition among suppliers of insurance.
The draft Hallmarking (Irish Standards of Fineness) (Amendment) Regulations have been settled by the parliamentary draftsman. The regulations will designate new standards of fineness for precious metals. The Hallmarking (Approved Hallmarks) (Amendment) Regulations are being prepared to designate new approved hallmarks for the new standards created by the Hallmarking (Irish Standards of Fineness) (Amendment) Regulations. In addition to introducing new standards of fineness and new approved hallmarks, the combined effect of both sets of regulations, which will be made simultaneously, will be to provide for a system of mutual recognition in the pre cious metals sector between Ireland and the other member states of the EU on the basis of equivalence. A statutory instrument will also be prepared to give legal effect to an amendment to the Annexes to the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals, which was implemented in Ireland under the Hallmarking (Approved Hallmarks) Regulations 1983 (S.I. No. 327 of 1983). Drafting of the regulations has not yet begun.
Regulations are being prepared to amend the European Communities (Contracts for Time Sharing of Immovable Property – Protection of Purchasers) Regulations, 1997 (S.I. No. 204 of 1997), which gave effect to Directive 94/47/EC on the protection of purchases in respect of certain aspects of contracts relating to the purchase of the right to use immovable properties on a timeshare basis. The amending regulations are being introduced to enable Ireland to comply more fully with the Directive.
The Schedule to the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act, 1997, contains a list of public bodies which are covered by the Act. Following completion of a review of the Schedule which my Department is currently carrying out, in conjunction with all other Departments, I will be making regulations updating the Schedule.
The Trade Marks (Provisions in Connection With Community Trade Marks) Regulations are being prepared. These regulations relate to certain provisions in connection with community trade marks, namely, determinationa posteriori of invalidity and liability to revocation; privilege for communication with professional representatives; infringing goods, materials or articles, power of seizure and search; designation of community trade mark courts and; conversion of a community trade mark or an application for a community trade mark.
The Trade Marks (Madrid Protocol) Regulations will implement the provisions of the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Mark once the protocol is ratified.
