§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the volume of motor fuel products smuggled into Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [15540]
§ Mr. BoatengHM Customs and Excise do not have estimates for the amount of fuel entering Northern Ireland as a result of cross-border smuggling. They have assessed the total revenue lost (excise and VAT) through cross-border shopping and smuggling of road fuels in Northern Ireland as about £100 million in 1998. Updated estimates will be presented in the forthcoming pre-Budget report.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings have been held between(a) Ministers and (b) officials and their Irish counterparts to discuss the smuggling of petroleum products into Northern Ireland since May; and if he will make a statement. [15544]
§ Mr. BoatengI recently visited the Revenue Commissioner in the Republic of Ireland and, in the absence of the appropriate Minister, had a very productive meeting with the Chairman of the Revenue Commissioners.
UK Customs enjoy a very close relationship with the Revenue Commissioners and the Criminal Assets Bureau in the Republic of Ireland. UK Customs and the Revenue Commissioners of the Republic of Ireland have a Memorandum of Understanding designed to increase the effectiveness of the co-operation. Officials meet on a regular and very frequent basis at policy and operational levels.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles have been impounded by HM Customs in each year since 1997 for alleged smuggling of petroleum products; and what was the tonnage of fuel carried. [15541]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms records of the number of vehicles seized do not disaggregate between the nature of the offences involved in each case. I regret, therefore, that this information is not available.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is taking to tackle cross-border smuggling of petroleum products; and if he will make a statement. [15543]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms believe the main risk from cross-border smuggling of petroleum products is across the land boundary between the Irish Republic and 271W Northern Ireland, and since September 2000 have increased their resources devoted to tackling oils fraud in Northern Ireland by a factor of four.
Customs believe that the threat from cross-border smuggling of petroleum products is limited on the mainland. This assessment has been regularly monitored by a series of joint exercises run by Customs and the police which to date have resulted in limited seizures of illicit fuel.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many successful prosecutions there have been in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997 for smuggling petroleum products into Northern Ireland. [15542]
§ Mr. BoatengThe number of successful prosecutions in Northern Ireland for oils smuggling is as follows:
Year Number 1996–97 0 1997–98 1 1998–99 3 1999–2000 3 2000–01 1