Call for evidence

The APPG on Illicit Trade was set up in 2017 to investigate and raise awareness of illicit trade in Britain, support closer working with parliamentarians to bring fresh impetus and ideas to tackling illicit trade and to highlight the impact on local businesses, high streets and communities.

At its last meeting, the APPG decided to carry out a formal inquiry into the state of illicit trade in the UK including the role of government in tackling it, culminating in a report to be published later this year.

For the purposes of this questionnaire, the APPG is particularly concerned with the illicit trade of genuine goods (eg smuggling), counterfeit goods or duty-not-paid goods.  The APPG’s scope does not cover illicit goods (eg firearms, narcotics).

This is an issue that applies across the public and private sector. Please answer the questions you feel apply to your organisation. You do not need to answer every question.

If you have any questions, please contact the Group's Secretariat via Isabella Hunter-Fajardo on illicittradeappg@connectpa.co.uk.

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* 1. Please indicate if you are happy for the APPG report to specifically name your company or organisation.

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* 2. Please indicate if you would like to be considered to give oral evidence to the APPG.

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* 3. Please indicate if you are happy for the APPG to include your evidence in the APPG report.

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* 4. Please indicate the name of your organisation and contact details (email and telephone)

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* 5. Please give a short description of your business or organisation (100 words max).

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* 6. Please indicate which industry sector your organisation is predominantly active in.

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* 7. On a scale from one to ten, how important would you consider tackling illicit trade as a priority for your business or organisation (1 = low, 10 = high)?

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* 8. When you consider “illicit trade”, which of the following do you consider the biggest threat to the success of your organisation.

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* 9. When considering the impact of illicit trade on your organisation, how does this manifest?

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* 10. What financial value would you put on the impact of illicit trade on your organisation? (in £ per annum)

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* 11. Please give a brief description and details of the impact of illicit trade on your business, industry, consumers or organisation including any statistics. (200 words max)

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* 12. On a scale of one to ten, what importance do you think the Government places on illicit trade? (1 = low, 10 = high)

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* 13. Please give a reason for your answer. (100 words maximum)

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* 14. What are the key drivers of illicit trade in your sector? (select all that apply):

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* 15. Please give a short explanation of what you perceive to be the main drivers of illicit trade. (200 words max)

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* 16. When considering how illicit and counterfeit products reach UK consumers, what are the most prevalent mechanisms that you come across (please put in order of likelihood, 1 being the most likely):

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* 17. Are there any other prevalent mechanisms that illicit and counterfeit products reach UK consumers? (100 words max)

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* 18. Please give a brief account of how illicit and counterfeit products reach UK consumers (e.g. manufacturing source, movements and retail processes) (200 words max).

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* 19. When considering counterfeit products, what level of sophistication do you generally find. (select one)

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* 20. Please describe the level of sophistication of counterfeit products you find, whether this varies and if so what causes this to vary. (200 words max)

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* 21. What do you feel is the prevalent perception of illicit trade for the public and consumers? (select one)?

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* 22. What perception do you believe the public and consumers have towards illicit goods/trade? (200 words max)

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* 23. Please give a brief description of how your organisation independently attempts to tackle illicit trade including any statistics. (200 words max)

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* 24. Please indicate the annual economic cost to UK plc you perceive illicit trade to contribute (in £ per annum)

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* 25. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you describe the relationship and collaboration of other organisations to tackle illicit trade (1 = poor, 10 = excellent):

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Private sector organisations
Third sector organisations
Public sector organisations
Enforcement agencies

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* 26. Please give a brief description of how your organisation works with other organisations (for example the private, third or public sector) to tackle illicit trade. (200 words max)

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* 27. When considering how your organisation works with the public and/or consumers, what methods do you use to engage with the public to tackle illicit trade (select all that apply):

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* 28. Please give a brief description of how your organisation works with the public and/or consumers to tackle illicit trade. (200 words max)

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* 29. Please give a brief description of what more (if anything) you believe the Government or its agencies could do to tackle illicit trade. (200 words max)

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* 30. Please give a brief description of what more (if anything) you believe the private and third sectors could do to tackle illicit trade. (200 words max)

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* 31. When considering Brexit, which elements of Britain's relationship with Europe do you think are important to keep in order to tackle illicit trade (rank in order that you would prioritise):

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* 32. Are there any others aspects of Britain's relationship with Europe that you think are important to keep in order to tackle illicit trade? (100 words max)

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* 33. Do you have any additional comments or issues you believe the APPG should consider during this inquiry?

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