§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why there was a decline of 55 full-time staff employed by HM Customs and Excise in Northern Ireland from 1 April 1993 to 1 April 2002. [HL4456]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyWhile it would not in any case be appropriate to comment on resourcing decisions taken in part under the previous government, there is no uniform explanation for the change in the overall number of Customs staff employed in different roles in Northern Ireland between 1993 and 2002. In individual areas there has recently been, for example, a significant increase in the resources allocated to tackle oils fraud in Northern Ireland and a reduction in the number of staff engaged in handing inquiries following the welcome creation of the Customs National Advice Service.