HC Deb 26 May 1999 vol 332 cc180-1W
Mr. Maude

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of not implementing the recommendations of the report of the Alcohol and Tobacco Fraud Review. [85101]

Dawn Primarolo

If the recommendations of the Alcohol and Tobacco Fraud Review had not been implemented and the allocation of £35 million over 3 years had not been made to Customs to effect these recommendations, Customs would be unable to achieve by 2001–02 the target set in the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review White Paper for detecting alcohol and tobacco fraud. There would also be an even greater threat of large-scale excise crime.