Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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115. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of investigations and prosecutions undertaken by the Revenue Commissioners in relation to diesel fuel standards from 2022 to 2024 inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38713/24]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by Revenue that a multifaceted approach is taken to tackling the misuse of marked fuels. Under Council Directive 95/60/EC of 27 November 1995 on fiscal marking of gas oils and kerosene, all Member States must apply a common fiscal marker, referred to as the Euromarker, to any gas oil and kerosene to which a reduced rate of excise duty applies. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/197 of 17 January 2022 establishes ACCUTRACE™ PLUS as the common fiscal marker, also known as the Euromarker, in all Member States for gas oil and kerosene delivered for home consumption at a reduced rate of Mineral Oil Tax. Revenue’s compliance activities in this area include roadside sampling of private and commercial vehicles at checkpoints combined with a risk-based, targeted sampling of suppliers and retailers.

The number of samples of Marked Gas Oil drawn and the consequential detections of misused fuel and vehicles seized for the period 2022 to end of August 2024 are set out in the following table:

Included in the details above, in 2022 Revenue had 13 commercial seizures of marked fuel totalling 57,793 litres, in 2023 Revenue had 3 commercial seizures of marked fuel totalling 1,800 litres and to the end of August 2024 Revenue had 4 commercial seizures of marked fuel totalling 69,700 litres.

In addition to the above detections and seizures for marked fuel offences, in 2022 Revenue secured 83 summary prosecutions resulting in fines of €220,500 and 1 indictable prosecution resulting in a sentence of 4 years imprisonment with the last 9 months suspended, in 2023 Revenue secured 95 summary prosecutions resulting in fines of €269,500 and 1 indictable prosecution resulting in a fine of €20,000 and a sentence of 2 years imprisonment reduced down to 15 months.

Revenue and An Garda Síochána collaborate closely in acting against cross-border fuel crime and co-operate with their counterparts in Northern Ireland under the framework of the North-South Joint Agency Task Force. This cooperation plays a key role in targeting the organised crime groups who operate across jurisdictions and are responsible for much of this criminal activity. Despite the success in combating the misuse of fuel, I am assured by Revenue that tackling such criminality continues to be a priority.

I am informed by Revenue that they are not involved in the testing of fuel standards.