Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HMT cannot identify any costs relating to translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of banks that have removed access to ATM’s from rural communities in each of the last five years.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the FCA the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. In September 2024, the FCA introduced regulatory rules for access to cash. Its rules require the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities, including free services for personal current accounts.
In the UK, LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, has committed to protect the broad geographic spread of ATMs. Data on UK ATM coverage can be found on its website.
Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment to LINK. In circumstances where LINK considers that a community requires additional cash services, the financial services sector will provide a suitable shared solution, such as an ATM, cash deposit service, or shared Banking Hub, for cash users in that community. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found on LINK’s website.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to protect access to cash.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the FCA the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. In September 2024, the FCA introduced regulatory rules for access to cash. Its rules require the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities, including free services for personal current accounts.
In the UK, LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, has committed to protect the broad geographic spread of ATMs. Data on UK ATM coverage can be found on its website.
Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment to LINK. In circumstances where LINK considers that a community requires additional cash services, the financial services sector will provide a suitable shared solution, such as an ATM, cash deposit service, or shared Banking Hub, for cash users in that community. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found on LINK’s website.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the reasons for the Office for Budget Responsibility's projected fall in tobacco revenue between (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24; and if she will review the tobacco excise model.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HMRC publishes commentary on tobacco duty receipts with the Tobacco Bulletin - Tobacco statistics commentary April 2025 - GOV.UK. The 12% decrease in tobacco duty receipts between 2022/23 and 2023/24 was primarily driven by falling cigarette receipts (£7,568 million to £6,535 million).
The Office for Budget Responsibility discusses drivers of tobacco duty receipts in relation to the tobacco duty forecast on their webpage - Tobacco duties - Office for Budget Responsibility.
Receipts are driven by inflation (CPI and RPI), real household consumption and underlying trends in tobacco consumption.
The downward trend in tobacco consumption has accelerated in recent years, partly reflecting changing attitudes and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes.
The Office for Budget Responsibility regularly reviews its forecasting methodology.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the (a) reasons for trends in and (b) potential impact of smoking rates on the level of duty paid on tobacco sales in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Office for Budget Responsibility discusses drivers of tobacco duty receipts in relation to the tobacco duty forecast on their webpage - Tobacco duties - Office for Budget Responsibility.
Receipts are driven by inflation (CPI and RPI), real household consumption and underlying trends in tobacco consumption.
The downward trend in tobacco consumption has accelerated in recent years, partly reflecting changing attitudes and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes.
HMRC publishes commentary on tobacco duty receipts with the Tobacco Bulletin - Tobacco statistics commentary April 2025 - GOV.UK. The 12% decrease in tobacco duty receipts between 2022/23 and 2023/24 was primarily driven by falling cigarette receipts (£7,568 million to £6,535 million).
The Office for National Statistics publishes commentary on adult smoking habits in the UK where they have reported a reduction in the estimated proportion of current smokers in the UK from 12.9% in 2022 down to 11.9% in 2023.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of tobacco products bought in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The table below states the estimated tobacco clearances for the calendar years 2023 and 2024:
Year | Cigarette Sticks | Non-cigarette Tobacco Products |
2023 | 17,045 million | 6,497 thousand kg |
2024 | 13,965 million | 5,210 thousand kg |
The totals above are composed of clearances from cigarettes, cigars, hand-rolling tobacco (HRT), other smoking tobacco (also known as pipe tobacco), chewing tobacco, herbal smoking products, and tobacco for heating (TfH).
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made with the Office for National Statistics of the potential impact of tobacco excise duty on the level of the Consumer Prices Index in (a) October 2024 and (b) June 2025.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are responsible for estimating the impact of Government policies on inflation. The OBR did not include an assessment on the contribution of tobacco excise duty to inflation in either the October 2024 or March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54343 on Tobacco: Smuggling, how many and what proportion of those referrals resulted in the revocation of the business's economic operator registration.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The majority of referrals received so far have been in respect of businesses who do not hold an economic operator registration because they do not sell, or intend to sell, any legitimate tobacco products.
Under The Tobacco Products (Traceability and Security Features) Regulations 2019, a valid Economic Operator ID (EOID) holder who breaches the requirements on a second or subsequent occasion, may have their EOID registration revoked for either 6 months or 5 years. No referrals have met this criterion so far.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54343 on Tobacco: Smuggling, how many and what proportion of those referrals resulted in a penalty; and what the average penalty was.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Of the 312 referrals received by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from local authority Trading Standards, 87 have so far progressed through casework to the issuing of a financial penalty for breaches of the Tobacco Track and Trace requirements. The average penalty charge to date has been £6,005.
The progression of the remaining, and future referrals are expected to result in additional penalty charges being issued.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54350 on Cash Dispensing: Ashfield, how she defines the reasonable provision of free cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for personal current accounts.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As the regulator responsible for the access to cash regime, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) defines reasonable provision on a geographic basis, whilst having regard to the cash access policy statement set out by HMT. The FCA’s rules set out that 95% of people in urban areas should be within 1 mile of a cash access point and 95% of people in rural areas should be within 3 miles of a cash access point. However, the FCA also notes that assessments should take into account local factors when considering whether there is a deficiency of cash services in a local community.
Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found on LINK’s website.
In circumstances where LINK considers that a community requires additional cash services, the financial services sector will provide a suitable shared solution, such as an ATM, cash deposit service, or shared Banking Hub, for cash users in that community.
To ensure the reasonable provision of cash and banking services, the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK, which will provide individuals up and down the country with critical cash and banking services. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 225 hubs have been announced so far, and over 150 are already open.