Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the assessment undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs during the recent consultation of the potential effect of standardised packaging on the illicit tobacco market.

The Government continues to carefully consider all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products.

The Department currently has no plans to place this information into the Library. Releasing this information at the present time would undermine Ministers and officials’ capacity for consideration and debate, which is required for proper deliberation of this developing policy.