HC Deb 05 April 1976 vol 909 cc77-9W
Mr. Higgins

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the Statutory Instruments implementing the policies of his Department which have been laid by the Customs and Excise Department in the past three months; how many of these have had to be corrected by subsequent Statutory Instruments and after what period; how long elapsed between the date when each of the orders

1976 S.I.No Title Number of days between laying and operation
90 The Import Duties (Temporary Reductions and Exemptions) Order 1976 … 0
112 The Anti-Dumping Duty (Temporary Suspension) Order 1976 … 24
118 The Import Duties (Quota Relief) Order 1976 … 1
125 The Import Duties (General) (No. 1) Order 1976 … 3
126 The Import Duties (Temporary Reductions and Exemptions) (No. 2) Order 1976 … 4
173 The Import Duties (Temporary Reductions and Exemptions) (No. 3) Order 1976 … 21
194 The Import Duties (Temporary Reductions and Exemptions) (No. 4) Order 1976 … 1
251 The Import Duties (Temporary Reductions and Exemptions) (No. 5) Order 1976 … 3
(Articles 5 and 6)
10
(other purposes)
370 The Import Duties (General) (No. 2) Order 1976 … 6
477 The Import Duties (Temporary Reductions and Exemptions) (No. 6) Order 1976 … 3
510 The Import Duties (Spain) (Reductions) (Amendment) Order 1976 … 2

be completed by companies or firms, and if he will list such forms in the Official Report.

Mr. Deakins

The information in respect of statistical forms issued to firms in the distributive and service trades by my Department is given in the following table:—

became public knowledge and the date when they came into operation; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent further errors and give longer notice to traders.

Mr. Deakins

The following Statutory Instruments affecting the Customs and Excise Department which my right hon. Friend has made or has recommended the Treasury to make have been laid before the House during the past three months.

One of these Instruments has been corrected by a subsequent Statutory Instrument: certain errors in SI 194 were corrected in SI 251: the latter was laid seven days after the former. Every effort is made by my Department and the Customs and Excise Department to ensure that the substance of Statutory Instruments is made known to the public, and particularly to those most directly affected, as soon as possible after each Instrument is laid.

To give longer notice to traders, it would be necessary to defer the operative dates of Orders so as to provide a longer gap between the decision to make the Order and its coming into operation. In many cases, Community obligations would debar such deferment; in others it would be contrary to the interests of the traders affected if, for example, suspensions or reductions of duty from which they may benefit had to start from a later date.

Every effort is being made to keep errors to a minimum.