§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the top 30,000 European Community traders in Britain have received(a) a directory of commodity codes and (b) a visit by customs officials in preparation for the introduction of new customs and value added tax regulations from 1 January 1993.
§ Mr. Dorrell[holding answer 16 December 1992]: Distribution of the Intrastat classification nomenclature commenced on 23 November and is scheduled for completion by 15 December. Visits to the top 30,000 European Community traders have been carried out by Intrastat liaison officers based at local VAT offices, and have been primarily concerned with explaining how the new system for the collection of intra-EC trade statistics will operate. Approximately 28,000 visits have already taken place; it is expected that very few of the balance will be outstanding at the end of 1992 but all should be completed by February 1993 when the first returns are due.