§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the abolition of frontier checks on the recording of imports of(a) alcoholic drinks and (b) tobacco in (i) 1993 and (ii) this year to date.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmorySince the abolition of frontier checks for the import of goods from European Community countries on 1 January 1993, import statistics on alcoholic drinks and tobacco have been captured through the Intrastat system. In December 1993 Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the Central Statistical Office commenced a joint review of the Intrastat system and the results were published in the August edition of "Economic Trends". This showed that the system was generally functioning well. The system for recording imports of these goods from outside the EC has not changed.