I propose to take Questions Nos. 233 and 253 together.
In 2007 the European Commission commenced a consultation process for the review of the Package Holiday Directive (Council Directive No. 90/314/EEC), which sets out consumer rights in the package travel, package holiday and package tour sectors. I understand that the purpose of the Commission's review is to update consumer rights in response to significant changes in the market since the adoption of the existing Directive in 1990. As the key objective of the review is to ensure that adequate protections are in place for the consumer, it is expected that the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment and the National Consumer Agency will also play an active part in the consultation process for the proposed reform of this Directive.
Statutory responsibility for regulation of the travel trade sector in Ireland rests with the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR). Last year, I asked CAR to undertake a review of travel trade licensing and bonding regulations and to recommend any reforms that may be warranted. The review by CAR concluded that any reduction in the level of the bond required by travel agents would increase the likelihood of further calls on the Travel Protection Fund (TPF), which has been called upon in recent times following a number of collapses in the industry in 2008 and to date in 2009, even at current bond levels.
