I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the normal hours of attendance for Customs officials is 9 a.m. to 5.15 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Attendances outside these hours are provided, as required, at various locations e.g. airports and ferryports. In addition, Customs staff employed on Mobile Task Units and in the Customs National Drugs Team (CNDT) are rostered for attendance between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays (Monday to Saturday) with provision for payment of overtime, if needed, for attendances outside these hours.
The Revenue Commissioners established the CNDT on 1 January 1993 to combat the smuggling of drugs and to take account of the greater responsibility placed on Customs to protect the external frontier of the European Union, in this regard, following the introduction of the Single Market.