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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the (a) NHS, (b) social care sector and (c) economy of obesity in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood

The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs estimated that overweight and obesity cost the National Health Service in the United Kingdom £5.1 billion per year. This figure was uplifted to £6.1 billion in 2014-15 to take account of inflation.

The Foresight team published Tackling Obesities: Future Choices in 2007. This estimated the annual costs of overweight and obesity to society and the economy as £27 billion in 2015, based on obesity prevalence at the time. More recently the McKinsey Global Institute estimated the cost of obesity to the UK economy as £46 billion per year.

No further estimates have been made centrally.

Copies of The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs; Tackling Obesities: Future Choices; and the McKinsey Global Institute’s report Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis are available at:

http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/11/pubmed.fdr033.full.pdf+html

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287937/07-1184x-tackling-obesities-future-choices-report.pdf

www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/how-the-world-could-better-fight-obesity

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on identifying suitable properties for the relocation of its offices to Glasgow; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) location decisions were based on a number of key principles to enable it to deliver more for less. This included retention of its current staff and skills and local and national transport links. It does not plan to carry out an impact assessment on the local economy of East Kilbride in addition to the People Impact Assessments that have already been conducted.

HMRC is considering a number of sites at each regional centre location, including Glasgow. More details will be available when commercial negotiations have finished.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35744, when his Department plans to carry out an impact assessment on the local economy of East Kilbride in addition to the People Impact Assessments that have already been conducted.

Jane Ellison

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) location decisions were based on a number of key principles to enable it to deliver more for less. This included retention of its current staff and skills and local and national transport links. It does not plan to carry out an impact assessment on the local economy of East Kilbride in addition to the People Impact Assessments that have already been conducted.

HMRC is considering a number of sites at each regional centre location, including Glasgow. More details will be available when commercial negotiations have finished.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the level of UK corporation tax on tax revenues in (a) developing and (b) other countries.

Jane Ellison

The Government is committed to a competitive and fair tax system, one that encourages innovation and business investment and taxes the profits of economic activity that occur in the UK.

That is why the UK used its G8 presidency to build support for the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project (BEPS), which is about tackling tax avoidance by multinationals through updating the international tax rules, and is delivering many of its recommendations in a package of measures announced at Budget 2016.

The UK has led international efforts to help developing countries tackle evasion and avoidance. Through the G20 we have commissioned the international organisations to develop toolkits to assist developing countries to implement the BEPS outcomes, as well as funding assistance to help developing country tax authorities tackle multinational tax avoidance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK’s tax treaties with developing countries on tax revenue in the UK.

Jane Ellison

By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development. However, as my predecessor and Rt Hon Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire has stated in response to similar questions, given the long timescales, complex and shifting interactions with domestic law, large and unpredictable behavioural effects and the lack of a sensible comparator, it is not possible to produce meaningful estimates of the revenue effects of double taxation agreements, and successive Governments have never attempted it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assess the effect of the UK’s tax treaties with developing countries on tax revenue in those countries.

Jane Ellison

By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development. However, as my predecessor and Rt Hon Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire has stated in response to similar questions, given the long timescales, complex and shifting interactions with domestic law, large and unpredictable behavioural effects and the lack of a sensible comparator, it is not possible to produce meaningful estimates of the revenue effects of double taxation agreements, and successive Governments have never attempted it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-09-02.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will conduct a spillover analysis to examine the international effects of UK tax policy of a similar character to those undertaken by the governments of the Netherlands and Ireland.

Jane Ellison

The government has no current plans to conduct a spillover analysis, which it does not believe would be a useful exercise.

The government is committed to a competitive and fair tax system, and has led international efforts to tackle tax evasion and avoidance while supporting developing countries to implement tax reforms. Through the G20 we have commissioned the international organisations to develop toolkits to assist developing countries to implement the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) outcomes as well as funding assistance to help developing country tax authorities tackle multinational tax avoidance.

The UK is a founder member of the Addis Tax Initiative, which commits the UK to double its Overseas Development Assistance spend on tax capacity building by 2020 and to work to make international tax reform more accessible to developing countries.