§ Lord Clinton-Davisasked Her Majesty's Government:
In connection with the adoption by qualified majority at the EC Internal Market Council on 19th December 1991 of a regulation to end systematic luggage controls in ports and airports for intra-community travel, why they alone voted against it, and what they propose to do to implement it.
§ Lord Brabazon of TaraThe purpose of the baggage regulation is twofold. It is to preclude the baggage of persons travelling between member states being subjected to formalities and controls at ports and airports comprising internal frontiers within the European Community. It also regulates customs procedures relating to the baggage of persons arriving in the European Community by air or sea from a point outside it but making any onward journey to their final destination elsewhere in the Community.
Her Majesty's Government accept that routine controls and formalities on baggage will cease at internal frontiers on 1st January 1993. But the Government consider that the wording of the regulation does not take proper account of the practical, financial and infrastructure problems which its adoption will cause for airports, particularly in the absence of agreed Community-wide procedures on the control of the persons themselves. Moreover, there will be consequential delays and inconvenience to passengers arriving from a third country and transferring to an onward flight to another Community airport. Because these issues will impact more severely at major United Kingdom airports, the Government could not support the regulation when it was adopted by qualified majority at the Internal Market Council on 19th December 1991.
3WAWork on implementation is, however, already proceeding. Customs officials are in close touch with airport and port operators on the changes which will be necessary to prepare for the elimination of systematic controls on the baggage of innocent intra-EC travellers. Nevertheless, the Government are determined to maintain the effectiveness of customs anti-smuggling measures to counter the threat to society posed by imports of drugs, weapons and pornography, and the regulation recognises the rights of member states to retain such checks, provided they are compatible with the three treaties establishing the European Community. HM Customs and Excise are developing their targeting and intelligence techniques in the light of this. By carrying out highly selective checks based on sharply focused profiles, Customs aim to ensure that the introduction of the Single Market does not make entry into the United Kingdom any easier for drug smugglers.