Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Finance further to his reply of 21 November 2012, if he will outline by county or by region, the number of investigations carried out to combat criminal activity in the sale or smuggling of counterfeit, laundered and illegal products, under the following headings: oil / fuel, tobacco, counterfeit goods; and if he will list in tabular form the comparable figures for the previous three years; if he feels enough is being done to protect the Exchequer from this criminal activity; if he will outline any proposals that he is considering to protect retailers from the damage of this illegal activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1836/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Revenue Commissioners are responsible for tackling the illicit trade in oil and tobacco products, and for dealing with counterfeit products that are being imported from or exported to countries outside the European Union. As I indicated in my reply to the Deputy’s Questions Nos. 55 and 56 of 21 November 2012, the Revenue Commissioners attach a high priority to combating criminal activities of these kinds, and are committed to continuing the extensive enforcement work that they undertake to detect and seize illicit products and to prosecute those engaged in illegal activities. They are conscious also of the need for this ongoing activity to be complemented by the development of innovative ways for dealing with this criminality, and are, for example, engaged at present, in cooperation with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, on work to obtain a new oil marker. Details of the quantities of oil and tobacco products seized in each of the years from 2009 to 2012, broken down by reference to the Revenue Commissioners’ Regions, are given in Table 1 below. Table 2 details the numbers of convictions for offences relating to illicit oil and tobacco products and counterfeit alcohol, disaggregated on the same basis, during that period. Table 3 gives the total numbers of seizures of counterfeit products by the Revenue Commissioners, and the numbers of items seized, in those years. It has not been possible, in the time available, to provide a regional breakdown of those data.

Table 1

Seizures of Illicit Fuel and Illicit Tobacco Products

Table 2

Convictions

Table 3

Seizures of Counterfeit Goods

(* To 30 November)