To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the cost of importing and exporting goods through the (a) Kerem Shalom crossing in the latest period for which information is available and (b) Karni crossing in 2006.

I have been asked to reply.

The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made an estimate of the costs incurred in exporting or importing goods through either Karni or Kerem Shalom crossings. It would be very difficult to make an estimate of these costs and there are a number of factors which may affect the cost, such as whether or not the goods need to be stored, and by whom the goods are being imported or exported.