To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many reports the Illegal Money Lending Team in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK received in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

The Government has ensured that Illegal Money Lending Teams within Local Authority Trading Standards have a clear statutory remit and powers to tackle illegal lenders. This is complemented by a new role for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as part of the transfer of consumer credit regulation to the FCA on 1 April 2014.

The Illegal Money Lending Teams have powers to prosecute those who are found to be lending illegally and causing harm to some of the most vulnerable consumers. The FCA has equivalent powers.

Illegal Money Lending Teams are also focused on raising consumer awareness of illegal money lenders and encourage members of the public to report illegal money lenders through the ‘Stop Loan Sharks’ campaign.

Both the FCA and Illegal Money Lending Teams have a strong track record of taking enforcement action against illegal money lenders.

The Scotland Illegal Money Lending Team records actionable intelligence and does not hold data on the total number of reports. The number of actionable reports for the last four years are:

The Wales Illegal Money Lending Team’s total number of reports as currently available are:

The England Illegal Money Lending Team’s total number of reports as currently available are:

In Northern Ireland, Trading Standards is a devolved matter and therefore, the Government does not sponsor Illegal Money Lending Teams there.