§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many days the HM Customs and Excise testing units for red diesel operated within Scotland during(a) 1997 and (b) 1998; and how many prosecutions were brought for illegal use of red diesel in each of those years. [127661]
§ Mr. TimmsScotland has two road fuel testing units. In 1997 they were operational for a combined total of 446 days and for 432 days in 1998. In the same period they made 277 detections leading to penalties and duty recovered totalling £423,214. In 1997 and 1998 two cases were taken to prosecution.