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NORTHERN IRELAND
Organised Crime Task Force
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Angela E. Smith): This statement sets out how my Department, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment intends to take forward action to help combat losses due to fuel smuggling in Northern Ireland.
Hon. Members will be aware that the loss to HM Treasury due to smuggling of non duty paid fuels amounts to some £245 million per annum.
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It was against this backdrop that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, when asked to consider what steps might be taken to ensure a robust and consistent enforcement of petroleum licensing conditions across Northern Ireland proposed that the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) which is the regional authority for health and safety at work, might assume responsibility for petroleum licensing.
This move would see HSENI having responsibility for policing the entire fuel oils supply chain. This would be a logical step as it already has direct responsibility for bulk fuel oil storage at harbour terminals and for its transport by road tankers—adding retail petrol stations would complete the chain. This proposal is strongly supported by the Organised Crime Task Force in Northern Ireland.
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Such a move would permit a more consistent and robust approach to enforcement. It would also allow for a more targeted approach to inspection, provide a single point of contact for the other key agencies involved and lay the foundations of an audit trail as well as improve intelligence generally.
Government will now consult on this proposal, which could, among other things, involve amendments to the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929. Depending on the duration of any consultation on the legislation, this transfer (change) in responsibilities could be achieved in 9–12 months.
I am pleased to be able to commend this proposal to the House. I am confident that, subject to the completion of a robust consultation process with the local authorities in Northern Ireland, and the allocation of the necessary resource, it would deliver an effective tool to reduce the losses and help bring an end to criminal activity in this area.