The Low Pay Commission, which makes annual recommendations to Government on the rate of the National Minimum Wage is inviting submissions on the National Minimum Wage 2022 by March 7.

RGDATA will make a submission on behalf of independent retailers. If you have any views on this issue email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or if you wish to make your own submission by post to:
The Secretary, Low Pay Commission, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, 23 Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley will represent Independent Retailers at the Food Safety Authority Retail Forum on Thursday, 25th February at 11am.

The focus of the meeting will be Brexit matters and representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and from the Environmental Health Service of the HSE based in Dublin Port will be in attendance.  If you have any Brexit related issue/query that you would like RGDATA to raise please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

RGDATA continues to raise the issue of aggressive anti-maskers and others who are refusing to wear face masks in shops with the Taoiseach, Minister for Health, Minister for Business, Minister for Retail and the Retail Forum.

If you are experiencing any issues with anti-maskers or others who are refusing to comply with the health and safety guidelines and regulations please update RGDATA by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All information assists us in our campaigning and lobbying activities.

The Judicial Council is set to make its recommendations regarding pay outs for minor injuries when it meets on 20 February.

Unfortunately, there are rumours that the judges are not going to recommend an 80% reduction which is necessary to bring Ireland in line with most EU countries.

If you are speaking to local politicians please make sure they hear your frustration with the long delay in tackling the cost of shop insurance – tell them that if the judges don’t recommend an 80% reduction you fear that your insurance costs will continue to rise.

RGDATA and the Alliance for Insurance Reform is continuing to campaign to get meaningful reform that will bring down the cost of insurance.

RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley represented independent retailers at the first meeting of the Deposit & Return Scheme Stakeholder sub group meeting organised by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

The group heard from various stakeholders on the potential design of a new DRS scheme to deliver on the programme for Government and Waste Action Plan commitments.

The DRS scheme will include plastic bottles and aluminium cans and will be producer funded. If you have any views on this issue please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

RGDATA and other insurance reform campaigners remain concerned about the impact of personal injury pay outs on insurance costs after the Judicial Council deferred a decision on new guidelines to February 20.

Media reports suggest that the judges are considering recommending that pay outs are more in line with those in Northern Ireland instead of much lower EU payouts.

This is causing serious concerns amongst campaigners who want an 80% reduction in pay outs for fully recoverable, minor injuries.

“We will not see the required reduction in shop insurance costs to sustainable levels unless we bring the pay outs for very minor, fully recoverable bumps and bruises right down to EU levels. Bringing Irish pay outs in line with those in Northern Ireland will not address this issue and will certainly not deliver the sort of reductions in insurance costs that Irish shops desperately need to stay competitive,” says RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley.

You can read the press release from the Alliance for Insurance Reform here.

Read the Irish Times report on what the judges are considering here

The Judicial Council is due to consider draft Judicial Personal Injuries Guidelines on Friday (5/2/21). Once Guidelines are adopted they will be published on the Judicial Council website.

The Guidelines will replace the Book of Quantum when Section 99 of the Judicial Council Act 2019, which is currently scheduled for this July, commences.

RGDATA is supporting the Alliance for Insurance Reform’s call for payouts for fully recoverable minor injuries to be slashed by 80%. Read the editorial by AIR to be published in the Irish Independent this week here.