Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

125. To ask the Taoiseach if the statistics collected by the Central Statistics Office for Eurostat in relation to trade for both exports and imports include records of services or goods and services and proposals to ensure that services are included in Eurostat figures in future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23669/13]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The statistics on exports and imports of goods are a combination of customs-based non-EU trade statistics and data from the Intrastat Survey of Irish traders involved in trade with other EU member states. The collection of the data on trade in goods is the responsibility of VIMA (a branch of Revenue). The CSO is responsible for processing and disseminating the data and the CSO's External Trade Division transmit data on trade in goods to Eurostat.

The latest results for Export and Imports of Goods are at:

http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/externaltrade/2013/gei_mar2013.pdf

Data on exports and imports of services are collected by the CSO's Balance of Payments (BOP) Division and are supplied to Eurostat by the CSO's BOP Division on a quarterly and on an annual basis. The quarterly and annual requirements for this data are set out in Regulation (EC) No 184/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 January 2005.

Quarterly data on exports and imports of services (or BOP credits and debits) are sent to Eurostat as part of Table 2a of the BOP results:

http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/economy/2012/bop_q42012.pdf

More detailed data on exports and imports of services are sent to Eurostat on an annual basis, with greater detail provided on service categories and counterpart trading country:

http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/economy/2011/its2011.pdf

The next transmission of quarterly exports and imports of services data will be before the end of June 2013 as part of the Q1/2013 BOP results. The next transmission of annual data on international trade in services will be in early September 2013.

For information, the table shows international trade in services data in € millions for 2009 - 2012 (sent to Eurostat):