(1) Subject to this Act, this Act shall apply to all credit agreements, hire-purchase agreements and consumer-hire agreements to which a consumer is a party.

(2) This Act shall not apply to the following, that is to say -

(a) a credit agreement in relation to credit granted or intended to be granted by -

(i) a society which is registered as a credit union under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts, 1893 to 1978, by virtue of the Credit Union Act, 1966,

(ii) any registered society within the meaning of the Friendly Societies Acts, 1896 to 1977,

except where the interest of the credit union or registered society in all or any part of the credit concerned has been directly or indirectly assigned or otherwise disposed of to any person that is not a credit union or registered society,

(aa) any transaction or proposed transaction conducted in the course of relevant trading operations within the meaning of section 39A (inserted by section 17 of the Finance Act, 1981) of the Finance Act, 1980, or within the meaning of section 39B (inserted by section 30 of the Finance Act, 1987) of the Finance Act, 1980.