§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make a statement on the state of discussions between British ophthalmic physicians and his Department relating to the overpayment of tax under European directives; and how much his Department estimates is owed by the Customs and Excise to British opticians in overpaid tax. [25343]
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryCustoms and Excise met opticians' representatives on 11 May and discussed the matters arising from the recent High Court decision on the VAT liability of supplies of spectacles. Proposals are awaited from the trade representatives on a number of the issues discussed and these will be considered at a further506W meeting planned for mid June. It is difficult to estimate the total amount of tax to be refunded to opticians, because the impact of the High Court decision will vary significantly from business to business; Customs estimate that the figure may be of the order of £250 million including statutory interest.