§ Mr. HendryTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to combat tobacco smuggling.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryIn order to combat smuggling from other EU member states, Customs has allocated some 240 staff in single market excise work, most of whom are specially trained excise verification officers. The EVO effort is intelligence directed, and is supported by other specialist investigation staff and the control measures taken by Excise and VAT visiting officers. Frontier controls by customs staff are used to counter smuggling from outside the EU.