Please take 10 minutes to fill out our Covid-19 member survey. This will help us to make representations on your behalf and highlight the issues that are impacting on independent retailers. Click here to do the survey.
RGDATA Shop Insurance Costs Campaign Update
A key RGDATA campaign for the past number of years has been to get reductions in the cost of shop insurance. This is a long, frustrating process but there have been some developments recently that are giving the Government a new impetus on this issue. The Central Bank has raised concerns that there is dual pricing going on in the insurance industry and the CCPC has separately raised concerns that there may be cooperation going on between companies to gain an unfair advantage on price.
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar is heading up the Cabinet’s insurance sub committee and Cabinet has now agreed to advance plans to increase competition in the insurance industry, introduce tougher sanctions for insurance fraud, increase transparency in the industry and reform of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board.
Separately, the Law Reform Commission has published its report looking at the constitutional feasibility of the Oireachtas legislating to cap personal injury awards, and has deemed this to be constitutionally acceptable. The Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee of the Judicial Council, which is looking at the level of damages awarded for claims, is expected to publish its initial draft guidance by the end of this month. RGDATA put insurance reform at the top of our submissions on the programme for Government and our Budget 2021 submission.
Tanaiste says Government is "examining" Occupiers Liability Act:
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar last week chaired the first meeting of a special ministerial committee on insurance which was attended by Ministers Paschal Donohoe; Michael McGrath and Helen McEntee.
The Tanaiste reported after the meeting that Justice Minister McEntee was working to enact the perjury bill, which would make it an offence to make false or exaggerated insurance claims, by the end of the year.
“She will also examine the Occupiers Liability Act, placing more responsibility on an individual not to injure themselves on a premises”. RGDATA has circulated a draft Occupiers Liability Amendment Bill to all the Ministers involved in the Committee and is urging them to pass the Bill to make the Duty of Care fairer and more proportionate.
Brexit - Food import requirements
FSAI Brexit E-learning module designed to bring food businesses step by step through all of the various food import requirements that will have to be met to continue to trade with the UK post Brexit. RGDATA members who trialled this found it extremely straightforward and helpful in their journey to get Brexit ready.
Deposit & Return Scheme Public Consultation
The Government has announced a public consultation on the design of a Deposit and Refund Scheme in Ireland. The consultation documentation can be accessed here.
All submissions should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and the deadline for receipt of submissions is 5pm on 12th November 2020.
RGDATA will be making a submission on behalf of independent retailers and we welcome your views to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Ensure Collaboration with Retail on Town Centre Regeneration: RGDATA
RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley urged Minister for Retail Damien English to ensure that retail and other town centre businesses are consulted and included in the programmes and policy development to deliver the Town Centre First policy promised in the new Programme for Government “Our Shared Future”. Minister English was chairing the quarterly meeting of the Retail Consultation Forum which was held via conference call on Thursday24/9. “Independent retailers welcome the Government funding that is being put into town centre regeneration and Covid-19 mobility schemes like cycleways and extended pedestrianisation but the shops and the businesses in the town centre must be consulted and engaged in the development of the plans so that they deliver the desired results – to make our town centres safe, attractive and vibrant,” Buckley told the Forum.
RGDATA DG Tara Buckley to take part in Town Centre First Podcast Series
Tara Buckley will be one of the key experts interviewed in a series of podcasts on the Town Centre First policy commitment in the new Programme for Government “Our Shared Future”. Click here for details.
Getting your Food Business Brexit Ready: FSAI webinar
The Food Safety Authority has a new series of free online Brexit webinars to help you get your food business Brexit ready. The first of the Brexit Bite series Be ready for 1 January 2021 will take place live on Wednesday 7 October at 10am.
In this short Brexit Bite, Anne-Marie Boland (FSAI) will provide you with practical information on what to do now to prepare for 1 January 2021. Anne-Marie’s presentation will include:
- An overview of food import requirements
• Brexit and food labelling changes
• Information on food placed on the Irish market before 1 January 2021
There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation. This free event will be held online and will last 40 minutes. To register please click here.
Download the RGDATA app now
The quickest and easiest way for retailers to keep up with these every-changing times is by using the RGDATA app. Launched last May, it is fast becoming the go-to place for industry updates.
The RGDATA app is available now on Google Play and the App Store. Use your RGDATA membership number (or M0022) for first time access and share with your team.
Health & Safety Authority Brexit Webinars
The HSA will host a series of on-line webinars, aimed at assisting Irish companies in their preparations for Brexit, starting on October 1st 2020. During this series of webinars, companies will be informed as to the implications of Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol for them and what they need to do now to ensure both continuity within their supply chains and compliance with relevant EU Regulations.
The dates, times and speakers for each webinar are as follows:
October 1st. 10am. Brexit -Implications for Accreditation. Adrienne Duff, INAB
October 7th. 10am. Brexit – Implications for Industrial Products. Alan Costelloe, HSA
October 7th. 2pm. Brexit - Implications for Transportable Pressure Equipment. Alice Doherty, HSA
October 15th. 10 am. Brexit- What you need to do if you source chemical products from the UK. Majella Cosgrave and Sinead McMickan, HSA
The webinars are free to attend. Further details and a link to registration are available here.
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