§ Mr. Dickensasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson), Official Report, 5 November 1979, column 27, if he will outline the surveillance techniques used by officers of the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise, specifying any special electronic equipment or machinery that is used in such surveillance.
§ Mr. Peter ReesI do not think that it is in the public interest to give details of the surveillance techniques used in combating serious cases of smuggling and serious Revenue offences. To give such details could jeopardise the effectiveness of future operations, and even on occasions put the safety of officers at risk.