Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 4 July 2017.
Mark Isherwood
Conservative
2:01,
4 July 2017
Thank you for that. Well, the 2016 Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association’s anti-illicit trade survey found that 62 per cent of Welsh smokers purchased non-duty-paid tobacco products. The financial rewards of this illicit trade are high; the penalties are low. This is threatening one in eight corner shops in Wales and across the UK, and most worryingly, people don’t understand the added health risks of this type of tobacco. What consideration has your Government given alone or perhaps working with the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to tackle this?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
