§ Mr. FallonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what costs in fiscal years(a) 1996–97 and (b) 1997–98 to date have been incurred by HM Customs and Excise on the storage of excise goods seized or detained as being illegally obtained from outside the United Kingdom; and what assessment he has made of the impact of these costs on HM Customs and Excise's (i) resources and (ii) ability to manage their control programmes. [26848]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe amount incurred for the storage of excise goods seized and detained by Customs in the 1996–97 financial year was of the order of £1.7 million. In the year 1997–98 up to the end of December the cost has been about £1.9 million. Customs has allowed for these costs in the assessment of its priorities and the allocation of resources to its control programmes.