Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2013
204. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular format, the funding provided to curb tobacco smuggling each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4149/13]
View answer205. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will to provide in tabular format, the number of cigarettes seized by customs each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4150/13]
View answer206. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular format the funding provided to curb the illegal importation of psychoactive substances, since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4152/13]
View answer207. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown in tabular format of the number and total weight of psychoactive substances seized by Customs and Excise each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4153/13]
View answer208. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the number and total weight of narcotic drugs seized by Customs and Excise each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4154/13]
View answer209. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular form the funding provided to curb the illegal importation of narcotic drugs since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4155/13]
View answer210. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the total number of illegal firearms seized by Customs each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4156/13]
View answer211. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular form the funding provided to curb the illegal importation of firearms since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4157/13]
View answer212. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown in tabular format of the total number of illegal bullets seized by Customs and Excise each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4158/13]
View answer213. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular form the funding provided to curb the illegal importation of bullets, since and including, 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4159/13]
View answer214. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the total number of offensive weapons seized by Customs and Excise each year since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4160/13]
View answer215. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular form the funding provided to curb the illegal importation of offensive weapons since and including 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4161/13]
View answer253. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance if he will to provide in tabular format, the total sum saved to the Exchequer each year since and including 2005 due to successful tobacco seizures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4151/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 204 to 215, inclusive, and 253 together.
I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the following table contains the information requested by the Deputy in respect of seizures by their enforcement officers of firearms, bullets, offensive weapons, psychoactive substances, narcotic drugs and cigarettes, for the years 2005 to 2012.
|
- |
Firearms |
Bullets |
Offensive Weapons |
Psychoactive Substances |
Narcotic Drugs |
Cigarettes |
Cigarettes |
|
- |
Quantity |
Quantity |
Quantity |
Quantity |
Quantity |
Quantity |
Tax at risk |
|
2005 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
* |
4,516 kgs |
51.3m |
€12.6m |
|
2006 |
1 |
500 |
1 |
* |
751 kgs |
52.3m |
€14.4m |
|
2007 |
59 |
5,517 + 5 packages |
100 |
* |
4,340 kgs |
74.5m |
€21.7m |
|
2008 |
84 |
19,531 |
87 |
* |
5,597 kgs |
135.2m |
.€39.5m |
|
2009 |
90 |
868 + 5 packages |
218 |
* |
3,936 kgs |
218.5m |
€73.3m |
|
2010 |
10 |
0 |
242 |
29.65 kgs |
531 kgs |
178.40m |
€59.8m |
|
2011 |
16 |
20 packages |
386 |
35.90 kgs |
2,588 kgs |
109.1m |
€36.6m |
|
2012 |
88 |
110 |
264 |
14.19 kgs |
2,129 kgs |
95.6m |
€34.3m |
* Prior to introduction of Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010.
The final column of the table contains the amounts of estimated tax (Tobacco Products Tax and VAT) that would have been payable in respect of the cigarettes seized in each of the years from 2005 to 2012, had they been released on the market as legitimate product. I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the question whether these amounts can be viewed as equating to savings to the Exchequer would have to take account of factors such as whether the seized product was intended for sale on the Irish market, and whether the seizures resulted in the consumption, by substitution, of a corresponding amount of legitimate product in respect of which the appropriate tax was paid.
With regard to the Deputy's question on the funding provided to curb the illegal importation of the listed commodities and narcotic drugs for the years in question, I am advised that Revenue is an integrated tax and customs administration and it is not possible to disaggregate staffing resources deployed exclusively on policing the importation of these individual products. The Revenue Commissioners have around 2,000 staff engaged on activities that are dedicated to target and confront non-compliance. These activities include anti-smuggling, audit, assurance checks, debt management, investigations, prosecutions and anti-avoidance. The Commissioners advise me that non-staff enforcement equipment expenditure on the purchase and supply of vehicles, maritime cutters, detector dogs, radio equipment, scanners etc for the years in question are shown in the table immediately below.
ANTI-SMUGGLING NON PAY COSTS 2005-2012
|
YEAR |
TOTAL |
|
2005 |
2866,692 |
|
2006 |
2,689,461 |
|
2007 |
1,543,728 |
|
2008 |
4,173,134 |
|
2009 |
3,345,175 |
|
2010 |
2,424,880 |
|
2011 |
2,688,059 |
|
2012 |
3,421,777 |
With regard to the costs of staff employed on targeting non-compliance, I am advised that Revenue operates a number of programmes based on strategic priorities as set down in its Statement of Strategies that are applicable over given periods of time. For operational and effective management the funding and resources assigned to 'programmes' are interdependent, with staffing resources redeployed across programmes according to the time of year and business needs.
