John Whelan (Labour)

I am grateful to the Minister of State for taking the time to come to the House to take this Adjournment debate. Unfortunately, fuel smuggling and fuel smugglers have not gone away you know. Instead of it being a problem that is in abeyance, it is expanding all over the country, it is no longer just a Border problem. It costs the Exchequer an estimated €200 million in lost revenue every year but it also has a damaging effect on small businesses the length and breadth of the country. I am reliably informed by the motor industry representative group SIMI that there are now pop-up filling stations in Clare, Galway, Cork, Kerry, Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath selling laundered fuel and adulterated diesel. This puts legitimate traders out of business and has a profound effect on hauliers who are trying to run their business legally, while costing the Exchequer, not to speak of the terrible environmental damage being done. I could not have timed this motion better if I had tried because last night another fuel smuggling depot was unearthed in Cavan. It is high time the Government cracked down on these cowboys and put them out of business. Enforcement is too lax and the range of measures brought to bear to date have simply not worked. What proposals does the Government have to curb this problem?