Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 172: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of flights per airport that arrived at Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports at times when no customs officers were rostered for duty for each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34883/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that they do not have information on the numbers of flight movements into and out of Cork, Dublin or Shannon Airports going back to 2002. Such information is the property of the Airport Authority rather than the Revenue Commissioners. It has not been possible to get the same level of detail on flight movements from the relevant authority for each airport, with the result that some numbers in the response are estimated. Since 1993 intra-Community travellers of EU countries have had the right of free movement within the EU. Customs authorities are not permitted to impose systematic checks on travellers whose point of origin is within the EU. In effect, intra-Community flights have been regarded as domestic since 1993. Customs authorities can impose selective checks for prohibited or restricted goods, but only on the basis of "reasonable grounds for suspicion". Flights from non-EU countries are of course subject to checking at the discretion of the Customs Service of the Revenue Commissioners.

Customs experience has shown that flights and types of passenger can be risk-rated quite accurately, and checking is now mainly risk driven. In addition to risk driven checks, random checks are sometimes performed to validate the risk assessment. Anti-smuggling checks are targeted, and are carried out by rostered staff or by on-call non-rostered staff depending on the availability of rostered staff, and on the number of officers required.

Dublin

Throughout the period in question Revenue has had, and continues to have, officers rostered on a 24/7 basis in Dublin Airport.

Shannon

Up to the end of 2004, staff were rostered on a 24-hour basis and all flights were attended. A review of the risk associated with late-night flights however prompted a change in 2005.

Since that change in 2005 there have been in general 17 flights per week outside of hours when rostered staff were on duty. However those flights are monitored and checked as appropriate by non-rostered officers.

Cork

All scheduled flights to Cork originate within the EU and are relatively low risk. These are monitored and attended by non-rostered officers as required. There are 15 scheduled flights per week Monday to Friday (3 per day x 5 days) that arrive during hours that officers are not rostered. They are also monitored and attended by non-rostered officers on a risk-management basis. Officers are rostered at weekends for a total of 16 rostered hours. These rosters vary from weekend to weekend, depending on flight movements and profiling of those flights. The officers are rostered to attend at the times of highest risk. Given the high level of activity at weekends it is estimated that approximately 40 flights per weekend arrive during hours that officers are not rostered for attendance. As with all flights these are profiled and a proportion attended by non-rostered officers.