asked the Minister for Finance the arrangements made to ensure that Irish exporters to EEC countries will be fully informed of the customs regulations.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Customs Regulations.
53.
Customs control in intra-Community trade is based largely on prescribed documentation prepared by the exporter which is required to be authenticated by the local customs and produced with the goods to the customs in the country of import. Since last October the Revenue Commissioners, in collaboration with Córas Tráchtála, have been engaged in an extensive information programme designed to bring to the notice of exporters and all other interests concerned the nature of the documentation and the form of customs supervision of their operations required to enable it to be authenticated.
The programme includes a series of meetings of interested parties arranged under the auspices of such bodies as the Confederation of Irish Industries, Chambers of Commerce, shipping companies, forwarding agents and so on. These meetings are addressed by officers of the Commissioners on the implications in the technical customs field of accession to the Community. Information material is distributed and familiarisation courses are provided for personnel whose function it will be to handle the new documentation. In addition, specially trained customs personnel for some time past have been calling upon major exporters, particularly of agricultural produce, with a view to identifying the kinds of problems most likely to arise and determining how best to resolve them.
The commissioners are producing a series of leaflets bearing on all important aspects of EEC customs requirements. Some of these have already been issued and the balance will be published shortly.