HC Deb 28 April 1977 vol 930 cc409-10W
Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons Mr. Jacques Rotenberg was allowed to pay a £500,000 fine for offences under the Customs and Excise Act; and how many such similar arrangements have been made in each of the last five years.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

Under Section 288 of the Customs and Excise Act 1952 the Commissioners of Customs and Excise are empowered to compound any proceedings for an offence under that Act. The Commissioners gave careful consideration to all aspects of the case against Mr. Rotenberg before allowing proceedings to be compounded for £500,000. It is not their custom to publish separate details of the number of cases dealt with by settlement under Section 288 or to reveal the circumstances which they took into account in individual cases.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions there have been under the Customs and Excise Act in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in imprisonment.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

This question could only be answered at the cost of disproportionate time and effort. However, the Annual Reports of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise publish combined totals of convictions and settlements under Section 288 of the Customs and Excise Act 1952, and the number of persons imprisoned. These are as follows:

Year Convictions and Settlements Persons imprisoned
1971–2 10,777 126
1972–3 10,616 169
1973–4 12,287 185
1974–5 15,159 272
1975–6 20,318 402

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons were prosecuted for smuggling pornography under the Customs and Excise Act in each of the last five years; and what were the penalties imposed in each case.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

The number of persons involved, court penalties imposed and sums received in settlement in each of the last five years in respect of offences relating to the importation of indecent or obscene articles were:

  • 1972–3 17 persons £30,378
  • 1973–4 15 persons £7,243 + 70 days' imprisonment.
  • 1974–5 49 persons £18,241 + 96 months' imprisonment.
  • 1975–6 50 persons £26,823 + 75 months' imprisonment.
  • 1976–7 55 persons £11,980 + 27 months' imprisonment.