§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from fuel retailers about rates of duty on diesel and petrol in Northern Ireland and their impact on cross-border smuggling of fuel; and if he will make a statement. [129063]
§ Mr. TimmsI met with the Northern Ireland Committee of the Petrol Retailers Association in October 1999 to discuss the cross-border smuggling of road fuels in Northern Ireland and its impact on the petrol retail industry.
Treasury Ministers continue to receive representations about the rates of duty on diesel and petrol in Northern Ireland. In addition to representations directly from the 199W Petrol Retailers Association, some individual retailers have contacted their Members of Parliament who have then written to Treasury Ministers on their behalf.
§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the quantity of smuggled road fuel of each type seized by the customs officers in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and the current year; and how much revenue these seizures represented. [128611]
§ Mr. TimmsThe seizures for financial years 1995–96 to 1998–99 are in the Northern Ireland Select Committee Third Report (July 1999). The seizures for the financial year 1999–2000 are as follows:
Volume seized (litres) Revenue (£) 1,037,0011 528,870 1a breakdown by type is not available The seizures for the current year are not yet available.