§ Brian CotterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been prosecuted for smuggling tobacco and alcohol into the country during the past five years; and what forms of punishment were administered to these individuals. [39764]
§ Mr. BoatengEach prosecution case can involve a number of defendants. Customs central records collate the number of prosecution cases rather than the number of people prosecuted.
For the number of prosecutions relating to tobacco and alcohol smuggling for the period 1996–96 to 1999–2000, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 15 January 2001, Official Record, column 123W.
107WIn 2000–01, Customs prosecuted 764 cases. Details of the penalties levied for excise and single market offences are contained in the Customs and Excise Annual Reports from 1996–97 to 1999–2000. The same information for the period 2000–01 will be detailed in the Customs and Excise Annual Report for 2000–01, due to be published shortly.
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals have been found guilty by a court of law of smuggling non-excise paid tobacco and alcohol into this country; how many of these individuals received a penalty fine as a result; and what was the average level of this penalty in the last three years. [39810]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms do not hold centrally information in the format requested. However, details of the penalties levied for excise and single market offences are contained in the Customs and Excise Annual Reports for 1996–97 to 1999–2000. Information for the period 2000–01 will be detailed in the Customs and Excise Annual Report for 2000–01, due to be published shortly.
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many websites offering the sale of non-duty paid tobacco and alcohol have been shut down within the past five years. [39765]
§ Mr. BoatengAs part of the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy published in March 2000, Customs actively started targeting websites selling non-UK duty paid tobacco. Customs do not hold records of all websites operating prior to the start of the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy.
Customs estimate that as a result of their actions since March 2000,85 of these websites have ceased trading.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the number of cigarettes that will be seized as a result of scanner operations in(a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [38626]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms targets for the overall number of cigarettes to be seized in the years 2000–01 to 2002–03 are included in the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy published in March 2000—a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. In 2000–01 Customs substantially exceeded their target. An estimate for the revenue value of seizures in these years resulting from the installation of scanners is included in this document.
The Government will publish annually details of the outcomes from the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy. The results from the first year of the strategy were included in the Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud paper published in November 2001—a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methods he has used to measure the effectiveness of HM Customs and Excise's publicity campaign about tobacco smuggling. [38629]
§ Mr. BoatengIn common with most major Government publicity campaigns, effectiveness is measured through detailed creative development and tracking research. The outcome of the research is taken into account in planning further phases of the campaign.
108W
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantities of unmarked tobacco products have been seized and detained by trading standards officers, since June 2001. [38619]
§ Mr. BoatengTrading Standards Officers do not currently maintain central records of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco seizures, but Customs and Excise are requesting them to provide an annual return.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review his target for 2001–02 for asset seizures in connection with tobacco smuggling. [38618]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy published in March 2000 set Customs, for the first time, financial targets against tobacco smuggling involving asset seizures. Customs regularly review performance against these targets, monitoring the contribution made to the achievement of the overall outcome of reducing the size of the illicit cigarette market.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) private light goods vehicles and (b) other private vehicles used for smuggling were seized by Customs and Excise in (i) 1999–2000, and (ii) 2000–01; and how many in each category were restored to their owners in each year. [38628]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms centrally held information on vehicle seizures does not differentiate between the types of private vehicle seized. For the total number of vehicles seized across the UK in 1999–2000 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 January 2001,Official Report, column 125W. Figures for the number of vehicles seized by Customs across the UK during 2000–01 are contained in the Government's response to the independent report by John Rogues into "The Collection of Excise Duties in HM Customs and Excise" (House of Commons command 5329, July 2001), a copy of which was placed in the Library on 19 July 2001.
I regret that Customs does not centrally hold information on the number of vehicles restored.
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many private and light goods vehicles have been seized by HM Customs and Excise in the last five years for suspected smuggling offences; and, of these, how many were(a) confiscated indefinitely and (b) returned for a fee. [39769]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms records of the number of vehicles seized do not disaggregate between the nature of the offence or the type of the vehicle involved in each case. For the number of vehicles seized across the whole of the UK from 1996–97 to 1997–98, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 18 June 1998,Official Report, column 274W. For the number of vehicles seized across the UK in 1998–99, 1999–2000, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 125W. Figures for the number of vehicles seized across the UK during 2000–01 are contained in the Government's response to the independent report by John Rogues into "The Collection of Excise Duties in HM Customs and Excise" (House of Commons command 5329, July 2001), a copy of which was placed in the Library on 19 July 2001.
109WCustoms do not centrally hold information on vehicle restoration.
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints have been received by HM Customs and Excise in the past five years relating to the seizure of private and light goods vehicles at UK ports for suspected smuggling offences. [39768]
§ Mr. BoatengCustoms do not maintain in the form requested a central record of the number of complaints received.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many heavy goods vehicles used for smuggling have been seized by HM Customs and Excise since the introduction of the new policy in July 2001; how many of those seizures were for(a) first and (b) second or subsequent offences; and if he will make a statement. [38627]
§ Mr. BoatengThis information is currently unavailable. Customs expect to collate and publish it on an annual basis.