Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing of a polluter pays levy on tobacco company to fund smoking cessation services; and if he will make it his policy to increase funding for (a) the swap-to-stop scheme, (b) tobacco control enforcement and (c) the national smoke-free pregnancy incentive scheme.

The Government is funding a broad package of measures to tackle the harm caused by smoking, including additional funding for local authority Stop Smoking Services, more enforcement activity around illegal tobacco and vape products, as well as recently launching a national smoke-free pregnancy incentive programme.

On the issue of a polluter pays levy on the tobacco industry, the Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of public finances. The Government keeps all taxes under review during its yearly Budget process.