HC Deb 08 February 1994 vol 237 cc121-2W
Mr. Burns

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken in response to the recommendation by the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee that the Central Statistical Office conducts a special review of the Intrastat system covering visible trade with other EC countries.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I have informed the chairman of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee about the work already in hand to review the operation of the Intrastat system.

In view of the importance of statistics on international trade, Customs and Excise and the Central Statistical Office have been monitoring carefully the operation of the Intrastat system since its introduction in January 1993. In the light of the results of this monitoring considerable efforts have been made, successfully, to improve the accuracy and speed of response.

Following a slow start in the early part of 1993 response rates for the first nine months, to September 1993, are now in excess of 95 per cent. by value for both arrivals and dispatches. There has also been a substantial improvement in the speed on response with 90 per cent. of the trade by value being submitted within seven weeks of the due date, an improvement of 20 weeks over the early months. Customs are working strenuously to obtain further improvements.

Discussions have also been held with Customs authorities and statistical offices in other EC countries to identify and investigate changes in the pattern of recording following the introduction of Intrastat.

Further investigations are being carried out to validate the register of traders which is being used, to make checks against data reported on the VAT forms and elsewhere, and to examine the recording of trade where the movement of goods involves intermediaries or transit through other member states.

The procedures used for deflation to constant prices and conversion to the balance of payments basis are also being checked.

A report on these investigations will be published as soon as they are complete. The statistics which have been released remain the best available estimates. If however the investigations point to revisions, these will be made at the earliest opportunity.