§ 132. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the minimum time taken for a United Kingdom customs cutter in hot pursuit of a suspect vessel to obtain clearance to enter(a) French, (b) Belgian and (c) German territorial waters; and if he will make a statement on these arrangements.
§ Mr. LilleyCustoms and Excise has a memorandum of understanding with the French Customs specifying contact points and the procedures to be followed while operating in each other's waters. Customs has similar close co-operation with other EC countries and has good lines of communication with both the Belgian and German authorities. Clearance for operating in their territorial waters can thus be arranged quickly, usually by telephone.