Chamber News

To comply with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Technical Instructions for the Safe Carriage of Dangerous Goods By Air, Royal Mail has updated rules which prohibit specific products from international services.

It will now be possible to send lithium batteries contained in a device in the international post, subject to packaging requirements. All lithium batteries were previously prohibited from international parcels. Lithium batteries not installed in a device continue to be prohibited.

Also, with effect from 14 January 2013, beverages with alcohol content above 24% ABV are prohibited from international parcels. Aerosols, nail varnish, perfumes and aftershaves continue to be banned, as regards sending to international destinations, for all business customers.

Royal Mail points out that dangerous goods transport regulations also apply to other parcel delivery companies.

The Civil Aviation Authority, Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have agreed updated rules with Royal Mail for individuals sending small quantities of specific, previously prohibited consumer items through the post to UK addresses.

It is intended that these will come into effect on 15 July, following public consultation expected to begin in March.

Ernst & Young’s annual globalisation report suggests that there are increasing challenges when operating in some BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies, as well as slowing growth in some of these markets.

As a result, nearly half of the survey’s respondents expect an increase in protectionism in the BRIC countries. In contrast, respondents see a decline in protectionism as more likely in other, smaller, rapid growth markets.

These markets show consistently high economic growth close to that of the leading BRICs.

Turkey, Mexico and Indonesia closely shadow China and India in terms of GDP growth from 2000 through 2015, for example, while Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as several countries and regions in Africa, are all shaping up to be among the most dynamic parts of the world for investment.

The number of executives questioned who view rapid-growth markets, other than the BRICs, as the most important source of new revenue nearly doubles, from 26% today to 45% in three years time.

They are planning accordingly, with South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey reported to be the most competitive locations.

Despite weak growth in 2012, and an uncertain economic outlook in many markets for 2013, globalisation is still increasing among a majority of the world’s 60 leading economies, according to the report, “Looking beyond the obvious: globalisation and new opportunities for growth”.

As well as the growth of the “second tier” markets such as Mexico and Turkey, the report also forecasts the rise of smaller European countries, including Belgium, Slovakia and Hungary.

HMRC is introducing Real Time Information (RTI) for PAYE from April 2013. The majority of employers are required to start submitting PAYE returns in real time in April 2013 and all employers will be routinely reporting PAYE information in real time by October 2013.

From April, PAYE returns are electronically required each time a payment is made, as part of routine payroll processes. Employers operating their own payroll will need to consider and take the appropriate action to either update their payroll software, obtain new payroll software or, where an agent or payroll bureaux is used, discuss the changes with their payroll provider. During October HMRC will be writing to all employers telling them about RTI, advising what they should be doing to get their business ready for the changes to PAYE in April 2013, and signposting HMRC guidance.

A new national information campaign and website has been launched to raise awareness among UK employers of the introduction of PAYE RTI. The website is a not for profit collaboration of business and accounting professional associations, that is independent of government and HMRC.

The site aims to become the leading independent source of news and information on this, which will be one of the key issues for UK business in 2013.

Please email queries or requests for additional information, to [email protected].

A deal with the Council of Ministers to give customs officials at EU borders better tools to confiscate, store and destroy goods that infringe intellectual property rights (IPR) has been endorsed by a leading European Parliament committee.

The Internal Market Committee noted that imports that infringe IPR are a growing problem in the EU due in particular to the rising volume of goods bought by EU citizens online and shipped to them by post from countries outside the Union.

Piracy and counterfeiting alone cost European businesses €250 billion in lost sales each year.

The new regulation on Customs enforcement of IPR aims to improve the effectiveness of customs controls so as to prevent illegal or dangerous products from entering the EU while setting down clear rules on detention and destruction procedures.

The new rules, which are to apply directly in all Member States from 1 January 2014, will allow customs officials to work faster and more effectively.

They include a simplified procedure to allow the destruction of goods without a court order, provided that the copyright holder agrees and the importer does not object.

A special procedure for small consignments of up to three kilos will also speed up the destruction of counterfeit goods. The new rules set a 10-day deadline for the importer to object before the good is destroyed.

In general IPR holders asking the customs authorities to enforce their rights would bear the costs of destroying the goods. However, the right holder could seek compensation from the infringer or other persons, including intermediaries such as carriers.

Non-commercial goods carried in a traveller’s personal luggage are excluded from the new regulation’s scope.

Eight areas, listed by the Chancellor in a speech at the Royal Society last November, are to receive significant funding after he identified them as vital to the UK’s future growth and to helping it stay ahead in the global race.

The Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, has confirmed that £600 million is to be invested in “big data”, space, robotics and autonomous systems, synthetic biology, regenerative medicine, agri-science, advanced materials and energy.

He noted the unique strengths of the UK’s research base but stressed that the Government now needs to capitalise on this by backing the right technologies and helping to take them through to market.

Mr Willetts said: “Strong science and flexible markets is a good combination of policies. But it is not enough. It misses out crucial stuff in the middle – real decisions on backing key technologies on their journey from the lab to the marketplace. It is the missing third pillar to any successful high tech strategy.”

He also announced a £350 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in Centres for Doctoral Training and a £1 million Technology Strategy Board competition to help to accelerate the development of concepts where robots are able to interact with each other and humans.

Of the latest funding, £35 million is to go to centres of excellence in robotics and autonomous systems to be created in and around universities, innovation centres, science parks and enterprise sites to bring together the research base and industry.

Another £45 million will be provided for new facilities and equipment for advanced materials research in areas of UK strength such as advanced composites, high-performance alloys, low-energy electronics and telecommunications.

Lee Hopley, Chief economist at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said that the new measures should help to address the barriers faced by innovative SMEs in accessing expertise and facilities.

“Public spending on innovation spending, just as much as science, offers high returns and this should be a priority in the Government’s forthcoming Spending Review,” she said.

Business competitiveness and export performance are increasingly tied to countries’ integration into global production chains and a willingness to open markets to wider imports.

This is one of the key findings of the preliminary international trade data released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Their joint “Trade in Value-Added Initiative” breaks with conventional measurements of trade, which record gross flows of goods and services each time they cross borders.

It seeks instead to analyse the value added by a country in the production of any good or service that is then exported, and offers, the partners believe, a fuller picture of commercial relations between nations.

“Countries’ capacity to sell to the world depends on their ability and readiness to buy from the rest of the world,” OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said during the launch of the new database in Paris.

Among the key findings are: China’s bilateral trade surplus with the USA shrinks by 25% on a value-added basis, reflecting the high level of foreign-sourced content in Chinese exports; one-third of the total value of motor vehicles exported from Germany actually comes from other countries; nearly 40% of the total value of China’s electronics exports come from foreign sources.

While conventional trade data suggests that services represent less than one-quarter of total trade, on a value-added basis services trade reaches an average 50% of OECD countries’ exports.

It is in fact well above that in the USA, the UK, France, Germany and Italy – in large part because services add significant value to manufacturing output.

The Norfolk Chamber are at thethe Norfolk Catering and Hospitality Expo 2013 held at the Norfolk Showground. As Partners of Norfolk Expo the Chamber is here to show our support for all the Norfolk Businesses in these sectors.

The one stop trade only show for anyone working in or supplying to the hospitality and catering sectors in Norfolk and the East Anglian Region.

With over 150 stands, a restaurant and a demonstration stage offering a full programme of events for the trade this is a chance to celebrate the £2.6bn of business the industry generates in the area.

Many Norfolk Chamber Members are exhibiting here as well. Full information on the vent can be found here:https://www.norfolkexpo.co.uk/

Legal and trade relations between Dubai and the UK will be strengthened through a Memorandum of Guidance (MoG) signed in London on 23 January.

This brings together the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts – the leading English-language commercial court in the Middle East – and the Commercial Court of England and Wales, the world’s leading Commercial Court.

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now widely recognised as the investment and business hub of the Middle East.

The MoG is designed to assist investors, businessmen and lawyers in the UK who wish to develop closer trade and investment links with the Emirate – and vice versa.

The Memorandum clarifies existing arrangements between the two courts, defining such issues as the mutual enforcement of judgments, in accordance with principles and practices set out in detail in the document.

It accordingly reflects the historic trade and industry links between the UK and the UAE, while reinforcing a shared commitment to providing the highest standards of commercial justice.

Mr Justice Cooke, Judge In Charge of the Commercial Court, said: “A surprising number of people today are unaware of the reciprocity between courts. While reiterating the existing relationship between DIFC Courts and the Commercial Court in London, the MoG sets out the basis upon which judgments of one court can be enforced in the other and helps to engender an atmosphere in which business can flourish.”

Trade through the terminals and cargo handling facilities on the tidal Thames fell by 10% to 43.7 million tonnes during 2012, the Port of London Authority (PLA) has announced.

The principal reason for the reduction of 5.1 million tonnes year-on-year in port trade was the closure of the Coryton oil refinery at the end of May.

The volumes of unitised (container) cargoes, cereals and biomass all increased, while the volume of all other types of cargo reduced.

PLA Chief Executive Richard Everitt said: “2012 was a tough year for trade on the river. The closure of the Coryton terminal, one of the largest cargo handling facilities on the river, was compounded by limited growth or declines in other cargoes.”

The medium term prospects for trade on the river nevertheless look very strong, he continued, as the main benefit of having a terminal on the Thames – proximity to the UK’s biggest consumer market – continues to attract major investment.

During 2013, Coryton is expected to re-open under new owners as an oil products import facility, the London Gateway container port will open, work will be well underway at the Port of Tilbury’s London Distribution Centre, and Stolt Neilsen will be developing a facility at Dagenham.

Oil and gas developments in East Africa are creating new business development opportunities for SMEs. The Africa Business Centre, operated by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, is organising a five-day trade mission for UK based SMEs.

It will provide a comprehensive introduction to oil and gas opportunities in Uganda and Tanzania via briefings and meetings with key government and commercial contacts. The aim is to equip delegates with all relevant information and contacts to support their future entry to the market.

For details of the schedule and costs, please click here.

Expanding on Qatar’s economic growth and continuing to build UK-Qatar trade links, the MEA is leading a Trade Mission to Qatar in the spring, 25th-28th March.

This multi-sector Trade Mission will focus on the opportunities arising from Qatar’s needs as it progresses towards hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will cater to all needs as it will offer delegates, with the assistance of UKTI, the opportunity to gain direct access to ministries, decision makers and to commercial leaders as well as meetings with potential clients and business partners.

For further information, please click here.

The Export Control Organisation (ECO) is the UK’s regulatory ‘strategic’ export licensing authority and forms part of the UK’s Department for Business.

Recent Notices that they have issued to all Exporters, can be found below:

Notice 2013/01 The ECO has amended the Open General Export Licence* (Military Goods). The licence has been revised to make the text easier to understand, while adhering to legal requirements in line with export control legislation.

Notice 2013/02 The ECO has amended the Open General Export Licence* (Military Goods: Government or NATO End-Use). The licence has been revised to make the text easier to understand, while adhering to legal requirements in line with export control legislation.

Notice 2013/03 Some businesses have been delivering military surplus vehicles through destinations not permitted by Open General Export Licence (Military Surplus Vehicles). This notice makes it clear that if goods are unloaded into a country, that country is considered to be the final destination. Any subsequent movement of the goods will be considered to be re-exporting.

Notice 2013/04 The new paid-for service will provide the documentation required by a number of Port States in the Indian Ocean regarding Maritime Anti-Piracy services provided by UK Private Security Companies.

Notice 2013/05 The ECO have discovered a mistake in Open General Export Licence (Military Goods, Software and Technology) – an incorrect email address. They have apologised for this error and the text has now been corrected.

Notice 2013/06 The ECO have discovered a further mistake in Open General Export Licence (Military Goods, Software and Technology: Government or NATO End Use) – an incorrect email address. They have apologised for this error and the text has now been corrected.

Notice 2013/07 As part of the Export Control Organisation’s ongoing Service Improvement Programme, a number of changes have been made to the SPIRE system that will enhance its effectiveness and streamline the process of making export licence applications for exporters.