Box 10.5
A government department’s dedicated consultation vehicle: the United Kingdom’s Joint Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC)
The JCCC was established in 1969 to exchange views on and discuss proposed changes to Customs procedures and documentation relating to the entry and clearance of goods. It gives the opportunity for HMRC to consider representations from over 20 member organisations on a face to face basis. There are four scheduled meetings per year, chaired by the Director of Customs and International Directorate. A number of smaller subgroups are used to discuss in-depth technical issues. These groups are set up if required and disbanded once their purpose is achieved.
Membership: The aim of the JCCC and its subgroups is to consult with the widest possible spectrum of trade interests
Assessment (World Bank 2010; see also Raven 2001, 2005), and a self assessment guide on articles V, VIII, and X of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (World Bank and Widdowson 2007).
JCCC subgroups active in 2008 include: • Customs Civil Penalties Subgroup • National Clearance Hub (NCH) Subgroup • International Trade Operating Systems Working Group • New Community Transit System (NCTS) Subgroup • Impex [Import-Export] Subgroup • Export Control System/Import Control System (ECS/ICS) Subgroup • Customs Procedures with Economic Impact, End Use and Free Zones Subgroup Staffing: • Secretariat support from the HMRC communication team. They also arrange the meetings, minutes, and agenda. • All subgroups are chaired by a senior policy officer from customs • Depending on the topic of discussion other policy officers from across HMRC are likely to be invited to the JCCC and its subgroups as required. • Minutes and record are produced by customs staff. Private sector members are given the opportunity to correct or amend minutes before publication.
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All JCCC and subgroup activities are published at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/consultations/jccc.htm and include: • Information Papers. • Minutes for the main JCCC. • Minutes for the JCCC subgroups. • Newsletters.
The role of the private sector in border management reform
Private sector representatives: • Airline Operators Committee Cargo United Kingdom (AOCC UK) • Association of International Courier and Express (AICES) • Automated Customs and International Trade Association (ACITA) • British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) • British International Freight Association (BIFA) • British Ports Association (BPA) • British Retails Consortium (BRC) • Chamber of Shipping (COS) • Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) • Community System Providers (CSPs) • Confederation of British Industry (CBI) • Customs Air Transport Consultative Group (CATICG) • Customs Practitioners Group (CPG) • Food and Drink Federation (FDF) • Freight Transport Association (FTA) • Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICSB) • Railway Industry • Road Haulage Association (RHA) • Royal Mail • SITPRO • United Kingdom Aerospace Industry Customs Group (UKAICG) • United Kingdom Major Ports Group (UKMPG) • United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA)
and to achieve the highest standards of interests from them. To achieve this, the following criteria for membership are applied. A trade body must: • Be a national organisation with a primary interest in the movement of goods and/or people. • Not represent particular (air)ports. • Not solely represent individual company business interests.
Source: Personal communication with HM Revenue and Customs (see further “Joint Customs Consultative Committee,” http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/consultations/jccc.htm).
Similarly reliant on data provided by private sector stakeholders are robust cost-benefit analyses, regulatory impact assessments, and postimplementation reviews—all key components of good project B O R D E R M A N A G E M E N T M O D E R N I Z AT I O N
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