It is with a heavy heart that I must bring this matter to public attention. I have been approached about a worrying trend of heavy handed tactics being employed by financial institutions settling overdue debts by the retrieval of assets. It has been brought to my attention in the past number of days that some of these debt collectors, who are hired on behalf of lending institutions supported by the State, may have criminal records.

It appears to be harder to become a licensed pub bouncer than a debt collector and I am very concerned at the lack of scrutiny of these people. There is clear evidence that some of them have criminal records and I am calling on the Minister to address this situation. Such licensing was introduced in recent years for staff performing security duties for night clubs and licensed premises. Those who enter the private homes of individuals and company premises being pursued by financial institutions must be correctly vetted in a similar manner and must not have a criminal background. But I am unfortunately led to believe that this is happening at the moment.

This vetting and licensing issue was raised previously and it is crucial, given the financial difficulties faced by people, that the Minister for Justice and Equality ensures that anyone operating on behalf of a lending institution should be correctly licensed to do so. If not, people will be hurt and there are a number of assault cases currently before the courts. The notion that lending institutions supported by the State are facilitating the hiring of people with shady backgrounds or with a criminal record is outrageous and completely unacceptable.

I raised this issue in the Seanad on Wednesday 19th October and will be vigorously pushing for answers.