§ Mr. HaynesTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how he intends to maintain reliable intra-European Community trade statistics post-1992 without adding to the form-filling burdens on business establishments;
(2) what assessment he has made of the rôle of reliable intra-European Community trade statistics for post-1992 business marketing and investment purposes.
§ Mr. RedwoodFollowing completion of the single market in 1992, the current source of intra-European Community trade statistics—customs' documentation—will probably disappear. An EC Commission proposal for a revised collection system has been put forward to be considered by EC Ministers later this year. This system820W involves collecting trade statistics directly from industry. However, with the elimination of customs' documentation and formalities, importers and exporters within the Community will benefit from a major reduction in costs and overall form-filling burden.
The Government's aim is to ensure that any new statistical system achieves a reasonable balance between the burdens imposed on those who have to provide statistics and the needs of Government and industry for reliable figures.
In order to assess these two aspects of any new system, a consultation exercise has recently been undertaken to obtain the views of industry. Individual businesses, trade associations and freight forwarders have all been included in the consultation. The results of this exercise are currently being assessed and will be used to help decide the United Kingdom's negotiating position in discussion on the new collective system.
More information about the proposed new statistical system and details of the consultation exercise were included in an article in British Business on 19 May 1989.