§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the involvement of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in Operation Scotcheck carried out in Scotland on 13 November.
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§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 5 December 1991]: Officers of Customs and Excise carried out tests of the fuel in vehicles' tanks during Operation Scotcheck. The operation, which was primarily a police check on vehicles carrying dangerous substances, was conducted between 0930 and 1600 on Wednesday 13 November at eight separate locations. A total of 528 tests were carried out by two customs officers at each of the eight locations. One vehicle, which was found to be running on rebated fuel, was seized under section 141 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 and restored for the sum of £200.