CARIFORUM and UK EPA Study

Figure 16: UK Imports by mode of supply from world (2019)

Source: UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) Notes: This analysis excludes Mode 3 trade (Commercial Presence)

However, with data on foreign commercial presence in the UK absent from the 2019 dataset, it is difficult to make statistical comparisons regarding the relative growth that occurred across the respective modes of supply during the three-year period 2017 to 2019. It would be appropriate to state, however, that outside of commercial presence, e-commerce and digital trade remains one of the most viable avenues for the export of services to the UK for all suppliers globally. It may also be the case that the supply of services are more naturally aligned to delivery via Modes 1 and 3 than would be feasible via the temporary movement of either the consumer (Mode 2) or the service supplier (Mode 4), especially in the case of the Mode 2, where, outside of health care and legal services, there are no major legal and administrative limitations/impediments to consumer movement for the purposes of consuming services abroad. On the other hand, the low take-up of service delivery via Mode 4, may be indicative of other underlying factors that may be inhibiting the temporary movement of natural persons to supply services to the UK, and would require further detailed study to determine what, if any, are the technical and procedural barriers that may be affecting that trade.

Page 86 of 241