Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the tobacco duty escalator on reducing the prevalence of smoking.
No specific assessment has been made. According to the latest ONS data 14% of adults in the UK are smokers, the lowest on record. To ensure that this downward trend continues the Government is committed to maintaining the tobacco duty escalator until the end of the Parliament.