Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to tackle illegal firearm possession.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government works closely with the police and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to ensure that we have the right laws, intelligence, detection and enforcement capabilities to tackle the threat posed by the unlawful possession and use of firearms. While incidents of gun crime, including where illegally held guns are involved, are relatively rare in this country, we recognise the significant and long-lasting impact of such incidents on victims and local communities when they do occur.
Our work with the police and the NCA includes recent and ongoing multi-agency action to target the importation and supply of imitation firearms that can be readily converted by criminals to fire live ammunition, which has seen significant numbers of these guns removed from circulation, helping to ensure the safety of our communities.
We have also included measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently before Parliament, to make it an offence to possess or supply templates for the 3D printing of firearms. This is part of a broader multi-agency response to the threat posed by the illegal possession of firearms manufactured unlawfully in part, or fully, using 3D printing technology.
There are significant penalties for those convicted of the unlawful possession of firearms, including the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or injure property.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of registering people involved in the distribution and sale of excise goods in a national scheme administered by HMRC.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The existing excise regime is already well regulated, with HMRC operating several registration and approval schemes for those who deal in excise goods, for example the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS), the Tobacco Trace and Trace system and the Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils (RDCO) scheme.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason tobacco duty increased above the rate of inflation in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government renewed the commitment to a tobacco duty escalator, which increases duty by 2 percent above RPI inflation at each Budget, until the end of the current Parliament. At Autumn Budget 2025, the duty on all tobacco products was increased in line with this commitment. The government also confirmed further increases of 2% above RPI plus an additional £2.20 per 100 cigarettes and per 50g of other tobacco products to take effect from 1 October 2026, alongside the introduction of Vaping Duty. This is part of the Government’s focus on health prevention and to continue our drive to reduce smoking prevalence.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned double duty increases on tobacco products on inflation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Forecasting the economy, including the effect of Government policy decisions on inflation, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR set out the impact of policy measures on inflation in its Autumn Budget 2025 forecast, including the rise in tobacco duty. The OBR have not adjusted their inflation forecast for the rise in tobacco duty.
The Chancellor asked departments to prioritise reducing inflation when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth. Considering all policies, the OBR expect budget measures to reduce CPI inflation by 0.4pp in 2026/27.