Customs and Excise

HC Deb 18 May 1998 vol 312 cc295-6W

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Customs and Excise personnel were employed(a) in countering smuggling of alcohol and tobacco products and (b) in total, on (i) 31 December 1996, (ii) 31 December 1997 and (iii) the most recent date for which figures are available. [41871]

Dawn Primarolo

Countering alcohol and tobacco smuggling is a part of the duties of all the Department's front line anti-smuggling staff, who are deployed to deal with a wide range of import prohibitions and restrictions; in this they are backed up by specialist intelligence and investigation staff. The only staff who deal exclusively with excise smuggling are Excise Verification Officers, whose responsibility is to counter smuggling from the Single Market. Their numbers were as followsAt 31 December 1996: 285 At 31 December 1997 330 At 1 April 1998: 330.

The total number of staff employed by Customs was as follows: At 31 December 1996: 23,571 At 31 December 1997: 23,475 At 1 May 1998: 23,450.