§ Sir Ivan LawrenceTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the proportion of off-licence beer sales now being lost to personal importation of beer from the continent. [14931]
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryData relating solely to the impact on off-licence beer sales of personal importations of beer from the continent are not available. However, for the 12 months ending 30 June 1995, the overall loss to United Kingdom sales of beer, including off-licence sales due to legitimate personal importations from other member states, is estimated by HM Customs and Excise to be equivalent to approximately 0.5 per cent. of UK consumer expenditure on beer.