§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade which import quotas have been exceeded, and by how much, in each of the last five years; and what(a) penalties and (b) sanctions the United Kingdom has imposed. [40626]
§ Mrs. RocheSince 1994, all quantitative restrictions on imports have been established at the level of the European Union.
I am aware of one case where the European Commission established that products subject to quota were imported into the European Union under false declarations of origin, and where an equivalent reduction was made to that country's quota for a later year.
I am not aware from the information that is readily available, and after taking account of the flexibilities provided for under the various regimes, of other instances in the past five years of imports of products subject to quota exceeding permitted levels.