Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to combat the pricing strategies of (1) under-shifting, and (2) over-shifting, by the tobacco industry to protect the public health aims of tobacco taxation.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Like most businesses across the economy, tobacco producers and retailers are free to set prices for their products. Evidence suggests that close to 100% of tax increases, and in many cases more, is passed through to consumers through prices. How this is distributed across products is a matter for the individual firms.

The UK has some of the highest tobacco taxes in the world which have helped reduce smoking prevalence to 11.9%.

In order to protect the public health objectives of tobacco taxation the Minimum Excise Tax sets a minimum amount of duty collected on a pack of cigarettes. This discourages manufacturers from selling cheap cigarettes as it reduces the profitability of cigarettes sold at or below the trigger price of £13.59 for a pack of 20 cigarettes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the pricing strategies of (1) under-shifting, and (2) over-shifting, by the tobacco industry on smoking prevalence.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Like most businesses across the economy, tobacco producers and retailers are free to set prices for their products. Evidence suggests that close to 100% of tax increases, and in many cases more, is passed through to consumers through prices. How this is distributed across products is a matter for the individual firms.

The UK has some of the highest tobacco taxes in the world which have helped reduce smoking prevalence to 11.9%.

In order to protect the public health objectives of tobacco taxation the Minimum Excise Tax sets a minimum amount of duty collected on a pack of cigarettes. This discourages manufacturers from selling cheap cigarettes as it reduces the profitability of cigarettes sold at or below the trigger price of £13.59 for a pack of 20 cigarettes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent study by the University of Manchester, reported in The Guardian, which found that, of 28 liberal democracies, the UK, Ireland and Barbados are the three countries where it is most difficult to register to vote.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to improving electoral registration. We are exploring a wide range of options to deliver on our manifesto commitment, including making greater use of public data and online Government services. Any changes will be based on robust evidence and user research.

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD _ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD _ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD _ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD _ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD _ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD _ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: Clause 90 LORD RENNARD ★_ Clause 90, page 51, line 7, after “trademarks” insert, “, markings containing

Found: LORD YOUNG OF COOKHAM LORD RENNARD _ After Clause 157, insert the following new Clause— “Tobacco products

Found: LORD YOUNG OF COOKHAM LORD RENNARD _ After Clause 157, insert the following new Clause— “Tobacco products