§ John BarrettTo 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 HealeyI have been asked to reply.
There are no estimates available for the number of illicit fuel laundering plants in the UK.
§ John BarrettTo 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 HealeyI 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.