§ Mr. Peter Reesasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied with the new Customs clearance procedures; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe new Customs clearance procedures have settled down reasonably well in most ports, but not yet in all. The position is being closely monitored. In Dover, for example, a number of problems remain and are being tackled. I shall write to the hon. and learned Member.
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§ Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will order an immediate inquiry into the working of the new import procedure of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonNo.
§ Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve procedure and clearance time following the introduction of the new import procedures so as to speed up free movement of goods through the ports.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe new procedures are under constant review by Customs, which will make any changes proved to be necessary. Computer processing of entries will be introduced in stages at the major ports over the forthcoming months.
§ Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the average time for clearance of a commercial vehicle following the introduction of the new import procedure scheme compared to the time taken before its introduction.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. It would be extremely difficult to ascertain an overall average time for all ports under the new system for the clearance of commercial vehicles and there is no comparative figure under the previous system.
§ Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost of introducing the new import procedure scheme; and how much of this additional cost has been passed on to commercial users.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe new system will provide a more efficient use of resources and will lead to significant staff savings which cannot be precisely quantified at this stage. None of the transitional Departmental costs of preparation and implementation has been passed on to commercial users.