Internal Market Advisory Committee (Hansard, 26 February 1997)

§ Sir Cranley Onslow
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the specific complaints his Department has raised at the Internal Market Advisory Committee since May 1995. [17111]

§ Mr. Nelson
I have been asked to reply.
My Department's action single market—formerly the single market compliance unit—has arranged for 22 new cases to be raised at the Internal Market Advisory Committee since May 1995. These have covered: 224W

Greek restrictions on cruises involving yachts registered and flagged outside Greece;

delays in the refunding of VAT by the Luxembourg authorities;

French refusal to accept international quality assurance certification;

restrictions on the organisation of sales and markets in Spain;

German ban on azo pigments;

Greek restrictions on the television advertising of toys;

German "Ü" marking requirements for steel construction products;

German re-testing requirements for engineering equipment;

French fire resistance certification requirements;

alleged ineffective enforcement in other member states of a directive concerned with dangerous imitations of foodstuffs;

French restrictions on the use of certain fuel tanks on commercial vehicles;

German "GS" marking requirements for medical products;

Irish mutual recognition failure in respect of plug standards;

discriminatory operation of the Finnish alcohol monopoly;

additional testing requirements for mobile cranes in several member states;

a discriminatory Finnish confectionery tax;

Dutch restrictions on the sale of blended edible oils;

non-recognition in France of British ski instructor qualifications;

Spanish marking of fuel for fiscal purposes;

a Dutch prohibition on the marketing of a particular type of saw;

Belgian restrictions on the use of air cleaning equipment;

Spanish type approval requirements for glass etching equipment.

§ Sir Cranley Onslow
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the outcome of the single market complaints raised by his Department's single market compliance unit raised by his Department's single market compliance unit with the Internal Market Advisory Committee. [17112]

§ Mr. Nelson
I have been asked to reply.
Of the 36 cases raised by action single market—formerly the single market compliance unit—at the Internal Market Advisory Committee, 12 have been resolved. The resolved cases are those concerned with:

Italian taxation of cars over 2 litres;

Dutch waste water regulations;

requirements for stack gas analysers to be tested to German standards;

Greek regulations on the content of soft drinks;

Dutch requirements involving the double-testing of electric fencing;

Portuguese requirements concerning lighting devices on tractors;

German requirements for re-testing of samples for liquid density standards;

delays in the refunding of VAT by the Luxembourg authorities;

French refusal to accept international quality assurance certification;

German "Ü" marking requirements for steel construction products;

French fire resistance certification requirements;

French restrictions on the use of certain fuel tanks on commercial vehicles.
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Action single market is continuing to press for the successful resolution of the other cases which it has raised at the Internal Market Advisory Committee.