§ 11. Mr. JoyceTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Government have made in combating trade in counterfeit goods in Northern Ireland. [42013]
§ 26. Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Government have made in combating trade in counterfeit goods in Northern Ireland. [42028]
§ 28. Mr. MillerTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent progress the Government have made in combating trade in counterfeit goods in Northern Ireland. [42030]
§ Jane KennedyIn Northern Ireland we are seeking to tackle and confront the trade in counterfeit goods through the co-ordinated efforts of the Organised Crime Task Force which I chair.
The task force provides a multi-agency approach to tackling the range of organised criminal activity that exists in Northern Ireland and to optimise our approach members are drawn from HM Customs and Excise, PSNI and N10, as well as others.
Specifically to highlight and bring to the forefront of the Northern Ireland public"s attention the major wrong of supporting those who trade illegally, Sir Reg Empey (Minister for Enterprise in the Northern Ireland Executive) and I paid a visit to shops and businesses in Belfast city centre before Christmas to visibly encourage the support of legitimate trade. We sought to highlight further the wrongdoing of supporting those who trade in counterfeit goods through articles by Sir Reg and myself in the task force"s news-sheet entitled "Response", which receives a wide distribution within Northern Ireland.
I would pay particular tribute to the work of the police and other agencies who have recorded a number of successes in recent months against those trading in counterfeit goods. One such example relates to police operations at Nutts Corner market where in October 2001 £80,000 was seized and on 23 December 2001 £18,000 worth of counterfeit CDs and Playstation games were seized. Other recent successful seizures include £40,000 worth of counterfeit clothing at Kilkeel market and £60,000 worth of counterfeit CDs etc. following a house search in Jonesborough.
335WAt the end of January I co-hosted with Sir Reg Empey an event at Hillsborough Castle which brought together leading Northern Ireland business leaders representing such organisations as the CBI, Institute of Directors, small businesses, the construction industry and banking, to name but some. The event was part of our on-going attempts to engage with the business community and enlist their support in the fight against organised criminal activity in its many forms. I will be continuing with this process of engagement in the months ahead.