Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is important that Revenue and the Minister's Department constantly evaluate the effectiveness of the different measures in place because those criminals, including paramilitary gangs in some instances, have significant resources and the State can never underestimate the resourcefulness of those people involved in criminal activity. I fully appreciate that the new marker system has had some success but I am told locally in the Border region that fuel fraud has started to increase again. I would like the Minister to ask the Department officials to check that with the Revenue Commissioners to ensure that the marker system is as effective in 2019 as it was in the latter part of 2017 and 2018.

We do not want sludge dumped in our fields, streams and rivers. That threatens the provenance of our primary agricultural production systems. It is important that our environment and landscape is not subjected to this sludge being dumped at will by those criminals.

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