asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the cost of the present tax concession on luncheon vouchers;(2) what is the present concession for tax purposes in respect of luncheon vouchers; and what is the amount to which it would need to be increased in order to restore it in real terms to the original value established in 1948.

By extra statutory concession the first 15p of the value of a meal voucher is not subject to tax. The cost of this concession is about £13 million a year. On the basis of the change in the retail price index, the present equivalent in real terms of 12½p at the time the concession was introduced in 1948 is 65p.