§ Mrs. BrowningTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of UK goods exported to(a) Antwerp and (b) Rotterdam were for onward transit outside the EU in (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999. [129673]
§ Dawn Primarolo[holding answer 7 July 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave on 9 May 2000, Official Report, column 334W, and on 10 May 2000, Official Report, columns 400–01W, on the same subject.
Where goods are moved in transit through other EC countries while en route to non-EC countries, exporters are required to state the final country of destination on their customs declarations. Customs produce trade statistics on the basis of the declared final country of destination and do not record transit details.
However, some goods exported to other EC countries and reported as such may subsequently be exported on to a third country—e.g. by way of a further commercial transaction. The European trade statistics system does not allow for the identification of these movements.