Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many closure orders were issued to retail outlets in England for the selling of illegal cigarettes in the last three years.

Where a retailer is found to be engaged in serious criminal behaviour, local authorities can apply to the courts for a closure order, which can close the business for up to three months. The number of closure orders issued against businesses, including those in which the sale of illicit cigarettes is a factor, is not held centrally by the Department. Local authorities and National Trading Standards collate information regarding the enforcement action taken against retailers in relation to illicit tobacco.