Originally launched in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) in 2003, Operation Quest targets brothel keeping and organised prostitution. The Operation has been expanded, with liaison officers appointed in each Garda division within the DMR and also on a Regional basis, with a Detective Superintendent, within the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, having the national remit as the Point of Contact for the investigation of such criminality. Operation Quest maintains strong links with foreign police forces tackling organised prostitution and continues to work on a daily basis with Government agencies and non-governmental agencies in this area. Organised prostitution and brothel keeping in Ireland is a cross border issue, resulting in strong cooperation between the An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, (PSNI).
Insofar as the number of arrests in 2013 is concerned, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the overall number of such arrests is not readily available. However, I can inform the Deputy that in January 2013 as part of an investigation under Operation Quest, An Garda Síochána arrested and detained three persons on suspicion of Human Trafficking and Organising Prostitution. A file is currently being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in relation to this matter and a number of charges are envisaged against central figures within this criminal group.