Tobacco investments held by local authority pension fund

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Dear North Yorkshire County Council,

I am seeking information about the value of the local authority pension fund’s investment in tobacco shares and bonds, as well as the income from those investments. Please provide whatever answers you can to the following.

1. What is the most recent available value of the local authority's pension fund?

2. What is the value of the fund’s directly-held investment in shares or bonds of the following companies: British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Altria Group Inc, Philip Morris International, Universal Corp, Alliance One International?

3. What is the total combined value of the fund’s directly-held investments in the companies named above?

4. What income did the fund receive from these investments in the last 12-month period for which records are available?

5. Does the fund have any other investments in tobacco via pooled investments? What is the value of these?

6. What is the local authority’s annual spend on smoking-related illness?

7. Please supply the number of deaths attributable to smoking in the local authority areas covered by your pension fund. Your Director of Public Health or equivalent should be able to supply this figure.

If you require clarification on any of the above questions, please get in touch on 0203 353 3616, or 07415154041 or email me at [email address]

Yours faithfully,

Rob Davies

North Yorkshire Council

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Yours faithfully
 
The information governance team

Infogov - Veritau, North Yorkshire Council

Dear Mr Davies,
 
Thank you for you request for information. Please see the response below:
 
1. What is the most recent available value of the local authority's
pension fund?
£3,331,367,988.66 as at 31 March 2018
 
2. What is the value of the fund's directly-held investment in shares or
bonds of the following companies: British American Tobacco, Imperial
Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Altria Group Inc, Philip Morris
International, Universal Corp, Alliance One International?
Phillip Morris: £1,970,058
 
3. What is the total combined value of the fund's directly-held
investments in the companies named above?
£1,970,058
 
4. What income did the fund receive from these investments in the last
12-month period for which records are available?
£72,330
 
5. Does the fund have any other investments in tobacco via pooled
investments? What is the value of these?
Yes it has £2,210,768.05 in total in pooled investments
 
6. What is the local authority’s annual spend on smoking-related illness?
 
The Local Authority does not spend on smoking-related illness.
Note: The Local Authority does spend on Stop Smoking Services and wider
tobacco control activity to reduce overall smoking prevalence across North
Yorkshire.
 
7. Please supply the number of deaths attributable to smoking in the local
authority areas covered by your pension fund. Your Director of Public
Health or equivalent should be able to supply this figure.
 
As this is publicly available information, we can direct the enquirer to
the website:

[1]https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/to...

 

Kind Regards,

 

Katherine Cassidy

 

Information Governance Officer

[2][North Yorkshire Council request email]

________________________________________
From: Rob Davies [[FOI #478575 email]]
Sent: 17 April 2018 18:45
To: Infogov  -  Veritau
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Tobacco investments held by
local authority pension fund

Dear North Yorkshire County Council,

I am seeking information about the value of the local authority pension
fund’s investment in tobacco shares and bonds, as well as the income from
those investments. Please provide whatever answers you can to the
following.

1. What is the most recent available value of the local authority's
pension fund?

2. What is the value of the fund’s directly-held investment in shares or
bonds of the following companies: British American Tobacco, Imperial
Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Altria Group Inc, Philip Morris
International, Universal Corp, Alliance One International?

3. What is the total combined value of the fund’s directly-held
investments in the companies named above?

4. What income did the fund receive from these investments in the last
12-month period for which records are available?

5. Does the fund have any other investments in tobacco via pooled
investments? What is the value of these?

6. What is the local authority’s annual spend on smoking-related illness?

7. Please supply the number of deaths attributable to smoking in the local
authority areas covered by your pension fund. Your Director of Public
Health or equivalent should be able to supply this figure.

If you require clarification on any of the above questions, please get in
touch on 0203 353 3616, or 07415154041 or email me at
[email address]

Yours faithfully,

Rob Davies

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