§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment the Government have made of the potential increase in(a) organised crime and (b) financial crime in the UK and elsewhere of UK entry into the single European currency, with particular reference to the planned maximum denomination of euro notes; and if he will make a statement; [1259]
(2) what assessment the Government have made of the increase in (a) organised crime and (b) financial crime in the United Kingdom resulting from the introduction of the single European currency in other EU member states, with particular reference to the planned maximum denomination of euro notes; what measures the Government are taking as a result; and if he will make a statement. [1242]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthLaw enforcement and other competent authorities in the United Kingdom are already working with their counterparts abroad in preventing and combating crime in relation to the single European currency. Threat assessments have been carried out, at both the national level by the United Kingdom's National Criminal Intelligence Service and the European level by Europol, to determine the potential impact of organized248W and financial crime involving the Euro, including counterfeiting and money laundering. These analyses and the experience being gained would be fully taken into account if the Government were to recommend United Kingdom entry into the single currency and Parliament and the people in a referendum were to agree.