Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the annual level of exports to the EU from the UK in each of the last three years, broken down into (1) temperature controlled, (2) unitised, and (3) bulk; what were the comparative imports from the EU into the UK; and what assessment they have made of the costs and benefits of possible higher tariffs between the EU and the UK after Brexit in the light of those figures.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) publishes official trade statistics, which are summarised in its annual Balance of Payments Pink Book. The 2017 Pink Book can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/bulletins/unitedkingdombalanceofpaymentsthepinkbook/2017.

The ONS has also published figures on trade in goods by commodity split by EU and Non EU countries. These cover the years 2013-16 and the months up to September 2017, and can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/bulletins/unitedkingdombalanceofpaymentsthepinkbook/2017

The Government is undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. We are examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of businesses and industry bodies in order to inform our negotiations with the EU. However, Parliament has previously voted not to release information that would be prejudicial to our negotiating position.