HL Deb 17 November 2004 vol 666 cc180-1WA
Baroness Billingham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the prohibition of sponsorship agreements under Section 10 of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 was intended to cover the sponsorship of events outside the European Union, which may be televised in the United Kingdom; and, if not, whether they will consider amending the Act to address this. [HL4317]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)

The intention of Section 10 of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 is that a person who is party to a sponsorship agreement is guilty of an offence if the purpose or effect of anything done as a result of a sponsorship agreement is to promote a tobacco product in the United Kingdom.

The sponsorship offence is committed by a person being a party to an illegal tobacco sponsorship agreement. However, by Section 12, in general the Act does not apply to television or radio broadcasting. The broadcasting of material sponsored by the tobacco industry is controlled by broadcasting legislation, including the Communications Act 2003.

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