Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government and HMRC on tackling the sale of illegal tobacco in Scotland.

I am concerned about the prevalence of illegal tobacco sold in Scotland, and fully support efforts to limit its spread.

The enforcement of trading standards is a devolved matter. I understand that the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland is currently engaging with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to explore what more can be done to better empower Scottish Trading Standards Officers in dealing with criminality, specifically in ensuring that they have comparable powers to their counterparts in England and Wales in measures such as Closure Orders.