I understand the Deputy's question to relate to the investigation and/or prosecution of the moneylending offences provided for in Part VIII of the Consumer Credit Act 1995.
In this regard, I am informed by the Garda authorities that where such offences are reported to An Garda Síochána the matter is the subject of investigation under the direction of local Garda District officers with relevant expert assistance available from the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation.
I am further advised that as such offences are not recorded on the Garda Síochána PULSE system under a specific crime type, it would necessitate a disproportionate expenditure of Garda time and resources to conduct an examination of each incident recorded on the system to establish the number of incidents concerning moneylending offences for the period in question.
With regard to the more general question concerning prosecutions and/or convictions in respect of moneylending offences, the Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose.
I have therefore requested the CSO to ascertain if such statistics are available and to provide any such data directly to the Deputy.