§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements are to be made for the publication of statistics of trade with the European Community in 1993.
§ Mr. NelsonWith the completion of the single market on 1 January, most border formalities for goods traded with other member states are abolished. As the associated documentation forms the source of the current visible trade statistics, normal publication of figures for trade with the European Community will be suspended while a new system for the collection of the statistics, Intrastat, becomes established. The monthly press notice published on 28 January, showing December's trade figures, will be the last in the present form. Details of our trade with non-EC countries will continue to be published monthly.
Aggregate figures for whole world trade, including that with the European Community, for the first quarter 1993 balance of payments and GDP will be published in mid-June 1993. Shortly thereafter it is planned to resume the publication of the monthly "Balance of Payments—Current Account" press notices with aggregate figures for intra-Community trade.
549WThe initial pattern of publication of detailed figures for visible trade with the European Community will be a quarterly volume containing monthly details at eight-digit commodity code level, which should be available shortly after the resumption of the monthly press notices. The monthly information will also be available from Customs and Excise-approved marketing agents.
This initial delay in the publication of figures is planned to be reduced as the year progresses.