The responsibilities of the Director of Consumer Affairs in relation to monitoring the changeover to the euro are twofold, and may be summarised as follows: under the Consumer Credit Act, 1995, the Director of Consumer Affairs has responsibility for monitoring customer charges by the credit institutions, and for issuing directions under section 149 of the Act to those institutions in relation to increases in existing charges and charges for new services-products. Notifications under section 149 are applicable in relation to the euro to the extent that credit institutions propose to restructure their customer charges prior to the introduction of the euro in cashless form as from 1 January 1999. I am satisfied that the director has sufficient resources to monitor compliance by the credit institutions with the decisions she made concerning their euro-specific customer charges.
Congruent with her responsibility under the Consumer Information Act, 1978, for promoting codes of practice, the Director of Consumer Affairs will monitor compliance with either the national or sectoral codes on dual display of prices by those bodies which voluntarily adhere to them. I am satisfied that the director has sufficient resources at her disposal to so do.