§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to instruct the Inland Revenue to allow the Thalidomide Trust to make all distributions tax exempt under section 329 of the Finance Act 1996. [153527]
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§ Dawn PrimaroloThe Inland Revenue applies the law as set down by Parliament. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to instruct the Inland Revenue to apply the law in a particular way. Discussions between the trustees of the Thalidomide Trust and officials of the Inland Revenue are currently taking place on this issue. While no conclusion has yet been reached the Government believe we should await the outcome of those discussions.