Written question asked by Andrew Dismore (Labour) on Monday, 8 February 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 February 2010. It was answered by Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 on behalf of the Treasury.

Alcoholic Drinks: Fraud

Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated total cost is of delivering the alcohol fraud strategy.

Answer: Estimates of expenditure on activity to tackle alcohol fraud in 2007-08 and 2008-09 total approximately £22 million. The projected cost for 2009-10, indicates an increase in HMRC and UKBA expenditure of around 12 per cent., to approximately £25 million. This reflects the introduction of new enforcement capabilities, such as specialist teams to carry out civil investigations of fraud, and the establishment of a dedicated inland detection force.

Secondary information