Amendment of the 1979 Act
3. The 1979 Act shall be amended as follows.
(1) In section 1(1) (interpretation) the definition of “approved route” shall be omitted.
(2) In sections 20(3) (approval of wharves), 22(3) (approval of examination stations at customs and excise airports), 25(3) (approval of transit sheds) and 42(3) (power to regulate unloading, removal, etc. of imported goods)() respectively there shall be added at the end “or to any goods which are moving under the procedure specified in Article 3.3 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2726/90() (transit procedures).”.
(3) In section 26(1) (power to regulate movements of goods into and out of Northern Ireland by land), paragraph (a) shall be omitted.
(4) In section 35 (report inwards)—
(a)in subsection (1) the words after “applies” shall be omitted;
(b)in subsection (6)—
(i)for “aircraft or vehicle” there shall be substituted “or aircraft”,
(ii)for “flight or journey” there shall be substituted “or flight”;
(c)in subsection (7)—
(i)“or after a vehicle crosses the boundary into Northern Ireland” shall be omitted,
(ii)“or the person in charge of the vehicle” shall be omitted;
(d)subsection (8) shall be omitted.
(5) Sections 37() (entry of goods on importation), 38() (acceptance of incomplete entry) and 38A() (examination of goods for purpose of making entry) shall cease to have effect.
(6) In section 63 (entry outwards of exporting ships)—
(a)in subsection (1), after “exportation” (in the first place where it occurs) there shall be inserted “to a place outside the member States” and for “the United Kingdom” there shall be substituted “those States”;
(b)in subsection (2), for “United Kingdom” (in the second place where it occurs) there shall be substituted “member States”;
(c)in subsection (7)(), after “United Kingdom” (in the first place where it occurs) there shall be inserted “or the member States”.
(7) In section 64(1)() (clearance outwards of ships and aircraft), for “United Kingdom” there shall be substituted “member States”.
(8) After section 75A()(records relating to importation and exportation) there shall be inserted the following—
“Records relating to firearms
75B.—(1) Every person who is concerned (in whatever capacity) in the importation or exportation of weapons or firearms within the meaning of Council Directive 91/477/EEC() (control of acquisition and possession of such goods) shall keep such records as the Commissioners may require for the purposes of that Directive.
(2) Subsections (2) to (6) of section 75A above shall apply in relation to any requirement under this section and to the records kept in pursuance of this section as they apply in relation to any requirement under that section and to the records kept in pursuance of that section.
Records relating to goods subject to certain transit arrangements
75C.—(1) Every person who is concerned (in whatever capacity) in the importation or exportation of goods which are subject to the transit arrangements set out in Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 1214/92() shall keep such records as the Commissioners may require for the purposes of Article 16 of that Regulation (verification of procedures and documents).
(2) Subsections (2) to (6) of section 75A above shall apply in relation to any requirement under this section and to the records kept in pursuance of this section as they apply in relation to any requirement under that section and to the records kept in pursuance of that section.”.
(9) After section 77A()(information powers) there shall be inserted the following—
“Information powers relating to firearms
77B.—(1) Every person who is concerned (in whatever capacity) in the importation or exportation of weapons or firearms within the meaning of the Directive mentioned in section 75B(1) above shall—
(a)furnish to the Commissioners, within such time and in such form as they may reasonably require, such information relating to such goods or to the importation or exportation as the Commissioners may specify for the purposes of that Directive; and
(b)if so required by an officer for such purposes, produce or cause to be produced for inspection by the officer—
(i)at the principal place of business of the person upon whom the demand is made or at such other place as the officer may reasonably require, and
(ii)at such time as the officer may reasonably require, any documents relating to such goods or to the importation or exportation.
(2) Subsections (2) to (7) of section 77A() above shall apply in relation to any requirement under this section as they apply in relation to any requirement under that section. goods to
Information powers relating to goods subject to certain transit arrangements
77C.—(1) Every person who is concerned (in whatever capacity) in the importation or exportation of goods which are subject to the transit arrangements set out in the Commission Regulation mentioned in section 75C(1) above shall—
(a)furnish to the Commissioners, within such time and in such form as they may reasonably require, such information relating to the goods or to the importation or exportation as the Commissioners may specify for the purposes of Article 16 of that Regulation (verification of procedures and docu ments); and
(b)if so required by an officer for such purposes, produce or cause to be produced for inspection by the officer—
(i)at the principal place of business of the person upon whom the demand is made or at such other place as the officer may reasonably require, and
(ii)at such time as the officer may reasonably require, any documents relating to such goods or to the importation or exportation.
(2) Subsections (2) to (7) of section 77A above shall apply in relation to any requirement under this section as they apply in relation to any requirement under that section.”.
(10) After section 78(1A)() (customs and excise control of persons entering the United Kingdom) there shall be inserted a new subsection as follows—
“(1B) Subsection (1) above does not apply to a person entering the United Kingdom from another member State, except—
(a)where he arrives at a customs and excise airport in an aircraft in which he began his journey in a place outside the member States; or
(b)as respects such of his baggage as—
(i)is carried in the hold of the aircraft in which he arrives at a customs and excise airport, and
(ii)notwithstanding that it was transferred on one or more occasions from aircraft to aircraft at an airport in a member State, began its journey by air from a place outside the member States.”.