Icecream vendor calls for regulation

The co-owner of one of the country’s longest-established icecream van businesses has called for a complete regulation of the industry on the back of the recent furore about jingles.

Caroline Smith of Smith’s Ice Creams in Tullyallen, Co Louth, has written to Fine Gael senator Catherine Noone saying there is a real need for national supervision to protect the industry against rogue traders and insurance fraud.

In recent months, the issue over icecream vans hit the headlines when Ms Noone proposed to regulate their jingles.

However, Ms Smith — who operates a fleet of 12 vans across Leinster with her husband Gerard — believes that the “pester power” proposals do not go far enough to address the “widescale abuse” of the industry. She believes that these abuses include inadequate insurance, non-vetting of drivers, and non-tax compliance.

In the scathing email asking for “full regulation of this business”, she claims she unsuccessfully tried a number of times to get all her drivers vetted because they deal with children all day.

“Last year, I applied to the Garda vetting office to request vetting of new staff for my business and was advised it was not necessary,” she said. “How is it that taxi drivers need to be Garda vetted but icecream van operators do not?”

The couple also believe that there are a “high number” of icecream vans operating under the wrong insurance.

She told Ms Noone these vehicles “are not insured as icecream vans and only have regular van insurance. In the event of an accident and this comes to light, the insurance company will not pay out.

“Insurance companies deem icecream vans as high-risk and, having researched this, I could not find an insurance company to quote me as a potential new operator in the trade.”

Ms Smith’s email also raises the issue of “numerous operators who are non-tax compliant in that they do not pay relevant taxes, vat, PRSI etc to the Revenue and literally just pocket the money.

“All local authorities should insist on proof of tax clearance when applying for casual trading licences.

“I felt I had to send this letter to the senator. She was giving out about the jingles and missing the bigger picture.

“Icecream van and drivers work around children all day, most days. What if a child was injured or worse by an icecream van or driver — who would answer then? Jingles wouldn’t cover it.”