Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of reducing air passenger duty on tourism, visitor numbers and regional economies.

The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review and considers them in the round. This means carefully considering their impact on industries such as tourism and on regional economies, as well as their contribution to the public finances and the efforts of the Government to reduce the deficit.

Air passenger duty makes an important contribution to deficit reduction. Nevertheless, the Government has exempted children from APD and reduced rates on the longest-haul flights. This will help enhance the competitiveness of the UK tourism industry and reduce the cost of holidays for families.