Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

He indicated he had set up a legitimate moneylending service but if a person fell foul of him, he did not have to violently attack anybody. All he had to do was provide an implied threat. He would turn up in his van outside a person's house, with "Viper" written across the van in big and bold lettering, and he or his associates would just sit there. How does a Bill like this address such intimidation or harassment? I would venture to suggest that the person to whom this implied threat of violence is being directed would be so scared that the last thing he or she would do is go to the local gardaí. That is why I suggest that on top of this Bill, there should be some sort of mechanism that the State should be able to address. I do not know how this could be done as we are talking about human nature but it is the only flaw I see in the practicalities and effectiveness of the Bill.

It seems we should consider the issue in the same way as prostitution and go after a different source. Perhaps more resources should be given to the Garda? When people like the Viper are questioned, they say they are running a legitimate business. He should not be allowed to run a legitimate business because he is a convicted thug and criminal. Perhaps we should examine how people applying for trading licences or other aspects of business get approval. They may comply in theory with 90% of the law in order for them to be able to stay outside the law 10% of the time, which in this case is critical. Perhaps in this way we could facilitate the State to go after these people, helped by legislation like this, so that when they are caught, they will be put away for a long time.