HC Deb 18 July 2002 vol 389 c462W
John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facilities in the supply of illegal fuel are estimated to exist in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK; and if he will make a statement. [62940]

John Healey

I have been asked to reply.

There are no estimates available for the number of illicit fuel laundering plants in the UK.

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of fuel in the UK fuel market is illegally produced; and what targets have been set for reducing this market share. [62941]

John Healey

I have been asked to reply.

Latest estimates of the size of the non-UK paid oils market were set out in "Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud", published alongside the 2001 pre-Budget report. Budget 2002 set out a comprehensive strategy to tackle all aspects of the problem of oils fraud, without which the illicit share of the UK diesel market would have risen by 8 per cent. to 2004–05.

This strategy will reduce that market share to 2 per cent. and save around £550 million against the pre-Budget revenue by 2004–05.

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