HC Deb 31 March 2003 vol 402 cc560-1W
Mr. Peter Ainsworth

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where the four new national strike teams of Customs officers, whose priority will be meat and animal products, will be based; how many officers each team will comprise; and whether they will be responsible to(a) the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs and (b) Her Majesty's Treasury. [106108]

John Healey

Customs will have responsibility for the detection of undeclared meat and animal products arriving from non-EU locations. Present assessments suggest that risk for this third-country traffic is currently highest in respect of air passengers.

The new national detection teams will operate throughout the UK according to risk assessment.

Customs' strategic approach to tackling this problem is agreed with DEFRA who retain the animal health policy lead.

Customs detection staff tackling the smuggling of meat and animal products will be responsible to the Commissioners of HM Customs and Excise and to Treasury Ministers, as for all other assigned matters.

Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make a statement about co-operation with the wine, spirit and beer sector and HM Customs and Excise in tackling revenue loss through freight smuggling and diversion fraud; [106035]

(2) if he will promote the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between the wine, spirit and beer trade and HM Customs and Excise in order to combat illicit imports and inward diversion fraud. [106037]

John Healey

Customs and the industry currently work together via the Joint Spirits Fraud Task Force (JSFTF) and the Joint Alcohol and Tobacco Consultation Group (JATCG); both joint initiatives aim to identify practical and regulatory ways of tackling revenue loss through freight smuggling and diversion fraud.

This has already resulted in a number of practical measures to tackle fraud, including providing testing kits to help Customs identify counterfeit products and allowing front-line officers to call up instant information about suspect consignments they have intercepted. Customs will build on this good initial progress and will continue to explore with the industry what new steps might be taken to keep pace with the changing tactics of fraudsters, and what further support the industry can provide.

The drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding is part of the on-going work of the JSFTF. Although it concentrates on spirits fraud, many of the practical measures that it implements will apply equally to wine and beer.