Minister's Bill would reduce bankruptcy term to five years

THE PERIOD for court applications discharging bankruptcy has been reduced from 12 to five years under legislation introduced by Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.

He said the discharge remained subject to the existing conditions.

“These are payment in full of all expenses, fees and costs of the bankruptcy, as well as all preferential payments, primarily to the Revenue Commissioners and to former employees,” he added.

Introducing the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011, Mr Shatter said that as well as bankruptcy, it amended the law in several areas.

It would allow the Legal Aid Board to provide advice on criminal matters to alleged victims of human trafficking offences.

A new provision in the licensing laws provided for the preparation and publication of codes of practice relating to the display, sale, supply, advertising, promotion or marketing of alcohol, he said.

“I want to stress that such codes are intended as a practical mechanism for promoting compliance with the licensing laws by licensees,” Mr Shatter added.

“They are not intended, and will not operate, as an alternative to Garda enforcement.” Nevertheless, he said, while breach of a code would not be an offence, it would constitute a ground on which an objection could be lodged by gardaí to a licence renewal. It would then be a matter for the court to decide under what conditions the licence could be renewed.

Fianna Fáil justice spokesman Dara Calleary said figures produced by the Health Promotion Agency showed there was a serious alcohol problem in the State.

The scary fact, he added, was that it affected an increasingly younger age group.

Mr Calleary said he believed the problem was at supermarket level and, to a lesser extent, off-licence level.