§ Mr. Mike HancockTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions there have been in each of the last five years for which there are records for426W (a) the production and (b) the use of red diesel on which duty has not been paid; what the amounts of duty involved were; and what penalties were imposed on those convicted. [145484]
§ John HealeyHM Customs and Excise's prosecution figures for Hydrocarbon Oil fraud over the past three years, including the number of convictions and the average sentence, are set out in their Annual Report (HC 52) published in December 2003. This also contains figures for the total value of fraud detected and identified.
In respect of prosecution figures for earlier years, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the then Financial Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow Pollok (Mr. Davidson) on 30 January 2001, Official Report, column 142W. Prosecution figures cannot be broken down between those for the production of illicit fuel and those for its use, nor between those for frauds using different types of fuels.