Circuit Court Rules (Consumer Protection Act 2007) 2008
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

num: 1
paragraphs: These Rules, which may be cited as the Circuit Court Rules (Consumer Protection Act 2007) 2008, shall come into operation on the 19 day of January 2009.
num: 2
paragraphs: These Rules shall be construed together with the Circuit Court Rules 2001 to 2008.
num: 3
paragraphs: The Circuit Court Rules are amended by the insertion immediately following Order 72A of the following:
“Order 72B — Consumer Protection Act 2007
1. In this Rule:
“the Act” means the Consumer Protection Act 2007 (No. 19 of 2007);
“Agency” means the National Consumer Agency established by section 7 of the Act, and includes, where any function referred to in section 5A(3B) of the Central Bank Act 1942 is exercised, or the context otherwise so admits or requires, the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland;
“code of practice”, “commercial practice”, “consumer”, “consumer transaction”, “product” and “trader” each has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 of the Act;
“code owner” has the meaning assigned to it by section 72 of the Act, and
“prohibited act or practice” has the meaning assigned to it by section 67 of the Act.
2. (1) In accordance with section 71(8) of the Act, applications to the Court under section 71 of the Act shall be brought in the County in which it is alleged the prohibited act or practice is being committed or engaged in.
(2) Applications under section 71(2) of the Act shall be made by way of originating Motion of Notice in which the trader or person against whom relief is sought shall be named as a respondent. The originating Notice of Motion shall be grounded upon an affidavit sworn by the applicant (or, where the applicant is the Agency or another public body that is prescribed for the purposes of section 71(2) of the Act, by an appropriate and duly authorised officer of the Agency or public body), which said affidavit shall:
(i) specify, where necessary, that the public body is prescribed for the purposes of section 71(2) of the Act, and the statutory instrument by virtue of which it has been so prescribed;
(ii) contain the name, address and description of the trader or person alleged to be committing or engaging in a prohibited act or practice and against whom relief is sought in the application;
(iii) identify each prohibited act or practice alleged;
(iv) set out the nature and extent of each prohibited act or practice alleged;
(v) identify with sufficient particularity the place or places at which the trader or person identified is alleged to be committing or engaging in a prohibited act or practice;
(vi) identify the public interest (if any) which the applicant alleges is affected;
(vii) identify any terms or conditions which the applicant intends to request that the Court impose under section 71(7) of the Act and the basis upon which such terms or conditions are claimed to be appropriate;
(viii) provide evidence or an estimate of the cost of complying with the order for which application is made.
(3) Every application under section 71(2) of the Act shall, in accordance with section 71(3) of the Act, be on notice to
(a) the trader or person against whom an order is sought, and
(b) the Agency, if the applicant is not the Agency.
and the applicant shall serve a copy of the Notice of Motion and grounding affidavit and any exhibit thereto on those parties not later than twenty one days prior to the return date specified in the originating Notice of Motion.
(4) Any party or person served with a copy of the Notice of Motion and grounding affidavit pursuant to sub-rule (3) may file a replying affidavit prior to the return date and where this is done, that party or person shall serve a copy on the applicant and on each other person or party served.
3. (1) In accordance with section 71(8) (as applied by section 72(6)) of the Act, applications to the Court under section 72 of the Act shall be brought in the County in which it is alleged the code owner is promoting the prohibited act or practice concerned or in which the code owner resides or carries on any business or profession.
(2) Applications by the Agency under section 72(2) of the Act shall be made by way of originating Motion of Notice grounded upon an affidavit sworn by an appropriate and duly authorised officer of the Agency which said affidavit shall:
(i) contain the name, address and description of the code owner against whom relief is sought in the application;
(ii) identify each prohibited act or practice which it alleged the code owner promotes;
(iii) set out the nature and extent of the prohibited act or practice alleged to be promoted by the code of practice concerned or its code owner;
(iv) identify with sufficient particularity the place or places at which, and the manner in which, it is alleged that the prohibited act or practice is being promoted;
(v) identify the public interest (if any) which the applicant alleges is affected;
(vi) provide evidence or an estimate of the cost of complying with the order applied for.
(3) Applications under section 72(2) of the Act shall, in accordance with section 72(3) of the Act, be on notice to the code owner and the applicant shall serve a copy of the Notice of Motion, grounding affidavit and any exhibits thereto on the code owner not later than twenty one days prior to the return date specified in the originating Notice of Motion.
(4) The code owner may file a replying affidavit prior to the return date and where this is done, the code owner shall serve a copy on the Agency.
4. (1) Save where the Court otherwise directs, any evidence in proceedings to which rule 2 or rule 3 relates shall be given on affidavit.
(2) On the return date of an originating Notice of Motion under rule 2 or rule 3 (or on any adjournment from such date), the Court shall give directions and make orders for the conduct of the proceedings as appear convenient for the determination of the proceedings in a manner which is just, expeditious and likely to minimise the costs of those proceedings which, where appropriate, may include:
(a) directions as to the service of notice of the application on any other person, including mode of service and the time allowed for such service (and the Court may, for that purpose, adjourn the hearing of the notice of motion, or further hearing of such application, to a date specified);
(b) directions as to the filing and delivery of any further affidavits by any party or parties;
(c) a direction that the application be determined by way of plenary hearing, where it appears to the Court that the subject matter of the application is likely to involve a substantial dispute of fact or it is otherwise necessary or desirable in the interests of justice (and the Court may for that purpose make orders and give directions in relation to the exchange of pleadings or points of claim or defence between the parties).