§ Mr. Gwilym Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the rate of duty or tax payable upon the importation of (a) assembled semi-conductor chips and (b) the unassembled components of semi-conductor chips; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe rate of duty under the common customs tariff on semi-conductor devices. whether or not encapsulated in a housing, is 14 per cent. Diffused silicon wafers not yet cut into chips attract a duty rate of 9 per cent. The rates of duty charged on the other parts of semi-conductor chips, for example gold wire, connectors and certain ceramic, metallic and plastic compounds range from 0.5 to 10 per cent.
The Government have for some time been concerned at the burden which the duty rate on semi-conductors
England and Wales Scotland *Barkruptcies †Company Liquidations *Sequestrations †Company Liquidations January 1978 329 481 10 29 July 1978 348 473 10 21 January 1979 337 387 9 20 July 1979 554 361 10 24 January 1980 262 527 20 19 July 1980 392 654 7 39 January 1981 428 946 11 28 July 1981 493 ‡ 17 38 January 1982 429 947 23 28 July 1982 515 987 23 37 January 1983 542 1,167 18 54 July 1983 582 1,075 28 40 January 1984 707 1,278 24 50 July 1984 748 1,217 15 32 January 1985 641 1,430 27 46 July 1985 671 1,396 22 47 January 1986 670 1,318 21 25 * Sequestrations are the Scottish equivalent of bankruptcies. Bankruptcy and sequestration totals include receiving orders and administration orders and the total is the net number of cases administered after consolidations and rescissions. † Includes compulsory and creditors' voluntary liquidations—the two types which involve insolvency. ‡ Monthly figure not available due to Civil Service strike.