asked the Minister for Finance (1) the number of passengers and private vehicles who (a) entered and (b) left the State via Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Rosslare Harbour, County Wexford, Waterford Airport, Cork Airport, Cork Port, Ringaskiddy, County Cork, Shannon Airport, County Clare, and Knock Airport, County Mayo for the period from 1 January 1986 to 30 September 1987 (2) the number of seizures of prohibited drugs made by officers of customs and excise at each location during this period, giving type, weight and estimated value in each case (3) the number and value of seizures of goods other than prohibited drugs at each location during this period (4) the number of prosecutions brought by officers of customs and excise under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, 1977 and 1984 during this period (5) the number of commercial vehicles which (i) entered (ii) left the State at those locations during this period (6) the number of customs entries processed at each location in respect of (i) imports and (ii) exports during this period (7) the approximate percentage of consignments of goods entered for importation which were physically examined by customs officers at these locations during this period and (8) the number of seizures of prohibited drugs made by customs officers under (7) above, showing the place of seizure, type, value and weight of drugs involved; and if he will recommend that the above information be included in future, in the report of the Revenue Commissioners.
Written Answers. - Traffic at Ports Statistics.
I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners and the Central Statistics Office as follows in relation to the information sought by the Deputy: (1) Tables 1, 2 and 3 following set out the available data on passenger and vehicle movement at the ports in question for the period requested; (2) Table 4 following sets out information on drug seizures for the period requested; (3) Table 5 following sets out information on seizures of goods other than prohibited drugs for the period requested; (4) There have been no prosecutions under the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 and 1984; (5) Table 3 following sets out the available data on commercial vehicle movements at the ports in question for the period requested; (6) Table 6 following sets out particulars of import and export transactions at the ports in question for the period requested; (7) and (8) The Revenue Commissioners do not keep such records.
It is not considered appropriate to include the above information in the annual report of the Revenue Commissioners.
Table 1.
Numbers of passengers (in thousands) entering the State via specified ports/airports.*
|
Period |
Dublin Airport |
Shannon Airport |
Cork Airport |
Other Airports† |
Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Rosslare, Cork and Ringaskiddy ports.‡ |
|
1986 |
1,258 |
372 |
133 |
N.A. |
1,456 |
|
Jan.-Sept. 1987 |
1,185 |
346 |
132 |
28 |
1,181ø |
Table 2.
Numbers of passengers (in thousands) leaving the State via specified ports/airports.*
|
Period |
Dublin Airport |
Shannon Airport |
Cork Airport |
Other Airports† |
Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Rosslare, Cork and Ringaskiddy Ports‡ |
|
1986 |
1,268 |
379 |
134 |
N.A. |
1,476 |
|
Jan.-Sept. 1987 |
1,219 |
355 |
137 |
29 |
1,214ø |
*The net passenger movements (inward less outward) are not reliable indicators of migration patterns.
Table 3.
Numbers (in thousands) of private vehicles (including buses), commercial vehicles (including unaccompanied trailers) and containers (over 10'× 8'× 8' or 500 gallons) entering and leaving the State via the ports of Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Rosslare, Cork and Ringaskiddy.‡
|
Year |
Entering |
Leaving |
||||
|
Private Vehicles |
Commercial Vehicles |
Containers |
Private Vehicles |
Commercial Vehicles |
Containers |
|
|
1986 |
207 |
88 |
71 |
201 |
87 |
66 |
|
Jan.-Sept. 1987 |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A. |
N.A.=Not Available.
†=Connaught Airport and Waterford Regional Airport.
‡For reasons of confidentiality of information relating to individual shipping companies, the data for the ports has been amalgamated in this reply.
øEstimated.
TABLE 4
1 January, 1986 — 30 September, 1987
|
Port/Airport |
No. of |
Weight (Gms) and Type |
Value Estimated£ |
|||||
|
Herbal Cannabis |
Cannabis Resin |
Cocaine |
Heroin |
Amphetamine Powder |
Other |
|||
|
Dublin Airport |
41 |
76.25 |
640.25 |
21 |
28.54 |
2.5 |
6 AmphetamineTablets2 CannabisReefers |
24,300 |
|
Dublin Port |
7 |
13.2 |
3,781 |
20,900 |
||||
|
Dun Laoghaire |
2 |
35 |
195 |
|||||
|
Rosslare Harbour |
5 |
53,010.45 |
292,000 |
|||||
|
Waterford Airport |
— |
— |
||||||
|
Cork Airport |
2 |
5.5 |
30 |
|||||
|
Cork Port |
4 |
2 |
3.67 |
30 |
||||
|
Ringaskiddy |
— |
— |
||||||
|
Shannon Airport |
2 |
10 |
1 ReeferCannabis Resin |
60 |
||||
|
Knock Airport |
— |
— |
||||||
|
Totals |
63 |
91.45 |
57,485.87 |
21 |
28.54 |
2.5 |
337,515 |
TABLE 5
No. and value of seizures of goods other than prohibited drugs.
1 January 1986 — 30 September 1987
|
Port/Airport |
No. |
Value (Estimated) |
|
£ |
||
|
Dublin Airport |
4,091 |
1,518,000 |
|
*Dublin Port |
612 |
500,000 |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
693 |
693,000 |
|
Rosslare Harbour |
456 |
354,000 |
|
Waterford Airport |
90 |
3,500 |
|
Cork Airport |
451 |
44,000 |
|
*Cork Port |
74 |
20,000 |
|
Ringaskiddy |
120 |
12,000 |
|
Shannon Airport |
610 |
130,000 |
|
Knock Airport |
49 |
3,300 |
*Includes seizures made by mobile patrol units, attached to these stations, at places other than the ports in question.
TABLE 6
No. of import and export transactions processed at the ports indicated.
1 January 1986 — 30 September 1987
|
Port/Airport |
1986 |
1987 (1. 1. 87 to 30.9.87) |
|
Dublin Airport |
||
|
Imports |
186,605 |
124,317 |
|
Exports |
62,893 |
43,312 |
|
Dublin Port |
||
|
Imports |
533,009 |
274,816 |
|
Exports |
133,727 |
76,933 |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
||
|
Imports |
154,352 |
137,288 |
|
Exports |
33,722 |
38,238 |
|
Rosslare |
||
|
Imports |
93,451 |
67,762 |
|
Exports |
61,295 |
50,341 |
|
Cork Airport |
||
|
Imports |
13,066 |
9,639 |
|
Exports |
8,165 |
5,854 |
|
Cork Port |
||
|
Imports |
27,132 |
19,847 |
|
Exports |
7,281 |
7,139 |
|
Ringaskiddy |
||
|
Imports |
366 |
2,245 |
|
Exports |
2,191 |
2,312 |
|
Shannon Airport |
||
|
Imports |
79,252 |
66,412 |
|
Exports |
30,619 |
23,530 |
|
Waterford Airport |
||
|
Imports |
38 |
57 |
|
Exports |
53 |
19 |
|
Knock Airport |
||
|
Imports |
— |
3 |
|
Exports |
— |
4 |
Note regarding Customs Documentation Processed at various Ports.
Information regarding the number of Customs entries processed annually at ports is not readily available. (A Customs entry can include a number of trade transactions.) However, details of the number of trade transactions processed are available. Each tariff code number quoted on an entry represents a trade transaction and while the number of trade transactions on an entry can vary significantly the average number of trade transactions on an import entry is 1.9 while the average number of trade transactions on an export entry is 1.2.
Knock Airport was approved for freight on 1st July 1987.
On 1st January 1985, the Revenue Commissioners introduced a statistical threshold of £100 in trade statistics from which the details on the attached tabular statement have been extracted. This threshold was increased to £200 on 1st January 1987. Accordingly the 1986 figures do not include details of transactions less than £100 in value and the 1987 figures do not include details of transactions less than £200 in value which, although processed for Customs purposes were excluded from the trade statistics, with the exception of transactions relating to (a) imports on which Customs and/or Excise duty is payable (b) imports into Customs bonded warehouses and (c) exports subject to charges.