Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
260. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether an individual’s credit rating will be affected if they request a payment break on a car loan from a financial institution due to illness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13712/26]
View answerThe Central Credit Register (CCR) was established by the Central Bank under the Credit Reporting Act 2013.
Credit reports provided by the CCR, which are based on data submitted by credit information providers on a monthly basis, do not calculate a credit score, grade or rating in respect of a borrower.
Neither a request for a payment break nor a payment break agreed between a lender and a borrower is specifically identified on a borrower’s credit report.
A CCR credit report provides factual information in relation to the payment performance of a relevant credit agreement - such as payments made, missed payments, and the outstanding balance.
A lender viewing a credit report will see certain information on the most recent credit history, including the outstanding loan balance.
Therefore, while there is no payment break flag or data field contained in the credit report, information will be provided on the change in the outstanding loan balance over a particular period of time.
It should be noted that the CCR does not approve or sanction loan applications, or require lenders to make a particular decision in response to a loan application.
While lenders are required to access the CCR in respect of a relevant credit application, the decision on the application remains a commercial matter for the individual lender.
