§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any of the other European Community member states' customs services have taken measures in the past three years to recover duties or collect security deposits in connection with goods of any sort that have been imported448W from Israel under preferences in cases where (a) the documents submitted in support of their originating status referred to locations in the West Bank, Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip or the Golan Heights or (b) the goods were labelled or otherwise identified in a fashion indicating that they were produced or had undergone substantial processing in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967. [115323]
§ Dawn PrimaroloHM Customs and Excise are not aware of any such action taken by other member states.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answers of 1 March 2000,Official Report, columns 266–67W, whether examination of the documents accompanying the consignments referred to in those answers has substantiated the alleged non-compliance with the provisions of the Agreement between the EC and Israel. [115319]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe information is still being evaluated. The results will be passed to the European Commission.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answers of 1 March 2000,Official Report, columns 266–67W, what measures to recover duties and collect security deposits have been taken in connection with importations from Israel under preferences of consignments accompanied by documents identifying the location of their suppliers as within the West Bank, Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. [115320]
§ Dawn PrimaroloNo such measures have been taken.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answers of 1 March 2000,Official Report, columns 266–67W, whether, upon their examination by Customs and Excise, the information contained in the documents accompanying the consignments referred to in those answers, together with the maps and other information available to Customs and Excise, justifies imposing duties and collecting deposits from the importers of those consignments under UK and Community law. [115311]
§ Dawn PrimaroloNo decision has yet been taken by Customs and Excise to impose duties or collect deposits.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where the responsibility for ensuring the appropriate application of Community treaties, including external trade agreements, lies and if the United Kingdom will ask the Commission to indemnify it against liability for losses to the Community's own resources consequent on failures of UK customs enforcement that may arise out of a misapplication of EU-Israel agreements by Israel's customs service. [115317]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe responsibility for ensuring the appropriate application of Community treaties lies with the Community, and, where member states are also party to the agreement, with the member states.
The question of indemnity does not arise given that the United Kingdom, in conjunction with other member states, is co-operating fully with the European Commission.
449W
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has demanded security deposits from importers claiming the benefit of preferences under the Community's preferential trade agreements for importations from Israel based on evidence indicating that the products being imported may have been produced or undergone substantial processing in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including in Israeli settlements. [115322]
§ Dawn PrimaroloNo.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answers of 14 February 2000,Official Report, column 447W, and 1 March 2000, Official Report, columns 266–67W, whether the documents referred to in those answers referred to (a) importation of dates and (b) importation under preferences of other products, with particular reference to wines and carpets from the area Barkan and the Golan Heights. [115318]
§ Dawn PrimaroloYes, and the evidence from the further checking referred to in previous answers has been passed to the European Commission.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Customs and Excise can take if Israel's customs service has been systematically misapplying the territorial clauses and origin rules in its trade agreements with the EU to prevent fraudulent preferential importations into the United Kingdom of products from settlements without the co-operation of Israeli customs. [115316]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe question of further action by HM Customs and Excise will not arise until the European Commission has completed its assessment of the situation.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account Her Majesty's Government have taken, in connection with imports from Israel under preferences, of public communications by the Government of Israel stating that Israel issues certificates of origin according to its own definition of territoriality. [115312]
§ Dawn PrimaroloThe content of these communications has been noted.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent to which achievement of the objects and purposes of the EC's trade agreements with Israel depends on the provisions of the agreement relating to the scope of territorial applicability and to bilateral customs co-operation. [115324]
§ Dawn PrimaroloNo such assessment has been made.