Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to tackle fuel fraud in Northern Ireland.

The government is committed to reducing revenue loss due to fuel duty fraud in Northern Ireland. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a comprehensive anti-fraud strategy in place that has driven down the estimated illicit share of the market for diesel in Northern Ireland (NI) from 26% to 13% since its launch in 2002. Autumn Statement 2013 also announced the expansion of HMRC Road Fuel Testing Unit and Criminal Investigation capacity in NI and Great Britain.

The fight against fraud will be further enhanced by the new rebated fuel marker introduced in April 2015, which makes it much harder to launder marked fuel.

HMRC also works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to fight fuel fraud on a wide range of fronts. This multi-agency approach includes regular exchange of information and joint operational activity. The Republic of Ireland have also introduced the same new marker as the UK.