Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the effectiveness of the Codentify tracking and tracing system in preventing illicit trade in tobacco; and whether his Department plans to commission an independent assessment of the potential for that system to meet the requirement for a tracking and tracing system under the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

The European Commission is still considering the options for implementation of the requirement for a tracking and tracing system under the EU Tobacco Products Directive, and no potential systems will be evaluated until that work is concluded.