asked the Minister for Justice if he will cause detailed inquiries to be carried out to determine the reason illegal trading continues at a venue (details supplied) despite a number of representations from Deputy Gay Mitchell and local shopkeepers who have to pay VAT, PAYE/PRSI, rates and income tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Illegal Trading.
147.
The Garda authorities have informed me that particular attention has been and continues to be paid to enforcement of the street trading legislation in the Meath Street area. Where the gardaí find a person in apparent breach of the legislation and he has not previously come under notice they may give him the benefit of a warning but, apart from that situation, it is their practice to bring legal proceedings where breaches of the legislation appear to have been committed.
They have, however, found on a number of occasions that complaints made against particular traders from competing business interests were not confirmed by their own investigations and that, at times, trading that was the subject of complaint was not in fact in breach of the law. A number of charges in respect of trading in this area are at present awaiting hearing.