§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in sales of whisky in the(a) UK and (b) overseas over the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the impact of levels of whisky duties on these trends. [5700]
§ Mr. BoatengTrends in sales of Scotch whisky are affected by many factors; of which duty is just one. For example, consumer preferences and pre-tax pricing play a major part. The spirits duty rate has now been frozen for four consecutive Budgets to strengthen both the international competitiveness and the domestic base of the UK spirits industry. In absolute terms this means that a standard bottle of spirits is some 60p cheaper than it would otherwise have been.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of whisky duty levels on employment in the Scotch whisky sector; and if he will make it his policy to bring duties on whisky into line with duties on other types of alcohol; and if he will make a statement. [5699]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Government appreciate the importance of the Scotch whisky industry and the significant contribution it makes to employment in local and regional economies. Judgments on the appropriate level of alcohol duties are made on a Budget by Budget basis and, as is sensible, take account of a wide range of factors which include the Government's expenditure priorities.