HC Deb 13 February 1998 vol 306 cc410-2W
Mr. Cotter

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 22 January 1998,Official Report, column 648, if he will list the (i) trade associations, (ii) public agencies, (iii) organisations and (iv) individuals who have contributed to the production of the report on alcohol and tobacco smuggling, cross border shopping and fraud currently being prepared by HM Customs and Excise; and if he will make a statement. [28527]

Dawn Primarolo

Seventy-one trade associations, public agencies and organisations contributed to the production of the review report. In addition 14 individuals contributed mainly from the fields of health and the off licence trade.

  • Action on Smoking and Health
  • Alcohol Concern
  • Association of Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committee
  • Association of Convenience Stores
  • Association des Brasseurs De France
  • John Barker Vending
  • BASS Brewers PLC
  • The Benefits Agency
  • Bonded Warehouse Keepers Association
  • Bracken Bank Stores
    • 411
  • Brewers & Licensed Retailers Association
  • British Institute of Innkeeping
  • British International Freight Association
  • British Medical Association
  • British Retail Consortium
  • British Tourist Authority
  • British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association
  • Campaign For Real Ale
  • Cancer Research Campaign
  • Castle Supermarket
  • Caxton Tower Wines Limited
  • Danish Brewers' Association
  • De La Rue
  • Department for Education and Employment
  • Department of Trade and Industry
  • Department of Health
  • Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions
  • DGXXI
  • Dover District Council
  • Dover Harbour Board
  • Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency
  • Duty Free Confederation
  • E. T. Logistics Limited
  • Faculty of Public Health Medicine, Royal College of Physicians
  • Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade Northern Ireland
  • Federation of Wholesale Distributors
  • Freight Transport Association
  • Gin & Vodka Association of Great Britain
  • Glenwood Stores
  • Hanslope Wines
  • Health Promotion Wales
  • The Home Office
  • Imported Tobacco Products Advisory Council
  • Independent Family Brewers of Britain
  • Institute of Alcohol Studies
  • Institute of Trading Standards Administration
  • Irish Revenue Commissioners
  • Kent County Constabulary
  • Local Authorities Co-ordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards
  • Maclay Group
  • Merseyside & Cheshire Alcohol Services Limited
  • Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Food
  • Morison Stoneham Chartered Accountants
  • Mulcaster Public Relations and Marketing
  • National Association of Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committees
  • National Association of Cider Makers
  • National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators
  • National Criminal Intelligence Service
  • National Federation of Retail Newsagents
  • Oddbins
  • The Offey
  • The Portman Group
  • Dr. Martin Raw
  • Road Haulage Association
  • John Sainsbury's Supermarkets PLC
  • Scotch Whisky Association
    • 412
  • The Scottish Council on Alcohol
  • Scottish Licensed Trade Association
  • Scottish & Newcastle
  • The Scottish Office (Industrial Policy Division)
  • Shepherd Neame Master Brewers
  • Small Independent Brewers Association
  • Swedish Tax Administrations & Customs
  • The Tobacco Alliance
  • Tobacco Manufacturers Association
  • Unite de la Lutte Anti-Fraude (UCLAF)
  • United Kingdom Warehouse Keepers Association
  • University of Nottingham—Division of Respiratory Medicine
  • VIDS Off Licence
  • The Wholesale Confectionery & Tobacco Alliance Ltd.
  • William Grant & Sons Limited
  • The Wine & Beer Company
  • Wine & Spirits Association of Great Britain & Northern Ireland
  • Yale Wines Ltd.
  • Zenith Off Licence.

Mrs. Lait

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methods are used to dispose of seized smuggled or bootlegged alcohol and tobacco and its products. [27926]

Dawn Primarolo

Customs aims to dispose of seized alcohol and tobacco by the most environmentally friendly means. Beer is recycled into agricultural products, and spirits into methylated spirits, although more recently Customs have set up arrangements which allow the resale of bulk consignments back to the originating UK manufacturer. Wine and tobacco products, because of their limited shelf life and the need to store them in the right conditions, are destroyed.

Mrs. Lait

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many WTE customs officers have been working on countering the smuggling or bootlegging of tobacco and alcohol in each year since 1991. [27931]

Dawn Primarolo

The following number of Excise Verification Officers have been deployed by Customs to counter excise smuggling at the beginning of each financial year since the advent of the Single Market on 1 January 1993:

  • Year commencing: 1 April 1993: 230
  • Year commencing: 1 April 1994: 230
  • Year commencing: 1 April 1995: 240
  • Year commencing: 1 April 1996: 260
  • Year commencing: 1 April 1997: 330.

These frontline officers are backed up by specialist investigation and intelligence teams whose resources have been increased since 1993.

Prior to the introduction of the Single Market on 1 January 1993, Customs staff at ports of entry dealt with the full range of social and fiscal prohibitions and restrictions; there was no separate group dedicated solely to countering excise smuggling.