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Organised Crime (Northern Ireland)

I understand where the hon. Gentleman is going with that argument, and we must be sensible about setting tax rates; however, the criminal mind will continually look for the opportunity to engage in criminal activity, make a profit and accumulate criminal assets. If we rely on closing a loophole here and a loophole there, even if we are successful at closing off that criminal option, criminals will simply move somewhere else. There is no substitute for confronting the criminal, finding out who they are and what they are up to, dealing with them, locking them up and seizing their assets. In the end, that must be the way. I shall address fuel in a moment, because it was the one area of substantial difference between the Government and the Committee. In the end, however, the criminal must be confronted, whatever activity they may have been up to. The hon. Member for South Staffordshire raised several issues about forthcoming legislation. Other Members commented more severely about what they perceive to be a lack of urgency. I shall deal with four examples, and, I hope, update and encourage Members. On charity law, the consultation closed on 13 October. We received more than 90 responses, and we are confident that the order will be laid before the House before we rise for Christmas. On taxes, we held a 12-week consultation on the draft order, which ended on 7 November. We received 53 responses and, altogether, 26 public meetings were held with people who operate in that industry. The comments were detailed and mainly positive. We are considering them, and if changes are needed, we will make them—I do not suppose that they will be large—and proceed with legislation. On the petrol licensing scheme, the consultation started in September, and it will end on 12 January. Again, assuming that there is a fair wind, new legislation will be in place by June next year. It will be some time before new road haulage industry legislation is in place, but we are still committed to it and a thorough consultation will begin in 2007. If all goes well, we are confident that legislation will be in place by summer 2008. On top of that, in the Bill that we introduced on Monday, we included licensing provisions for the private security industry—a major undertaking whereby all operatives in the industry will have to be licensed. There will be a thorough system of regulation, the like of which we have not seen in Northern Ireland. I can understand why people urge us to do more and to do it quickly, but we are addressing a range of issues. There is a lot of work, and we must get it right. However, no one should be under any illusion; we are following through on all issues, and we will deliver as soon as we can. Fuel represented an area of difference between the Government and the Committee. The hon. Member for South-West Norfolk discussed the Danish model and asked us to reconsider it. Although there is a difference between us, we have considered the issues carefully. As was said in response to a previous report, the Danish model would be administratively more complex, and that must be taken into consideration. However, a more compelling argument is that it would create more opportunities for criminal activity, because duty would be paid further down the chain. Fuel would go missing from the supply chain, never to be seen legitimately again. The beauty of the current system is that duty is paid as fuel leaves the refinery. If we were to make the point of sale the point at which duty were paid, any fuel that disappeared between leaving the refinery and the point of sale, would be a lost legitimate sale. Issues of administration and practical organisation lead us to conclude that we do not wish to go for the Danish model.