Last Monday, I spoke at the Anglesea Street policing forum in Cork, at which many businesses expressed their concerns regarding the enforcement of the Charities Act. In this context, I wish to raise two items with the Minister. The first is the on-street selling of petitions and pertains to collections permits. It came to light at the meeting that some charities are flying people into Cork Airport on a particular day and then fly them out that night. The second and most pertinent point is in regard to the activities of utilities companies such as EirGrid, Eircom and so on outside post offices. In certain parts of Cork city, people are being forced to sign a change of utility company declaration. Is there an opportunity for people to be able to renege on such a pressurised signing of a declaration?

While this pertains to the enforcement of the existing Charities Act rather than to new legislation, I accept the Deputy has raised a significant issue in respect of the manner in which much street selling takes place, particularly if one is dealing with large utilities, whereby people are signing under inappropriate circumstances on the street when they are thinking of something else. I will ask the Minister to revert directly to Deputy Buttimer in this regard.