Tag: Baroness Harris of Richmond

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Harris of Richmond on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of cross-border smuggling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and how many prosecutions for such smuggling have been recorded in the past five years.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The government is committed to tackling the fraudulent evasion of duty. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) records statistics for excise offences in Northern Ireland by regime; hydrocarbon oil, tobacco and alcohol. It does not separate out those involving smuggling between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

By their very nature these offences can include cross border aspects and HMRC works closely with the Revenue Commissioners in the Republic of Ireland to disrupt criminal activity connected with these goods. This includes regular exchange of intelligence, joint operational activity and the gathering of evidence for use in criminal prosecutions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Harris of Richmond on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what powers the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was able to recommend the suspension of a police officer while a homicide investigation is carried out, and whether Her Majesty’s Government are aware of whether any consultations took place between the IPCC and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis beforehand.

Lord Bates

The IPCC’s decision making processes are independent of the Government. As this is an ongoing IPCC criminal investigation, it would be inappropriate for the Home Office to comment further. This is a matter for the IPCC and the IPCC has indicated that it will respond to Baroness Harris directly. Interactions between the IPCC and police forces in respect of an investigation are a matter for those bodies.