§ 35. Mr. Liptonasked the Minister of Health what has been the result of the correspondence he has had with poster advertising bodies about their ban on posters approved for display by his department to advertise the connection between smoking and lung cancer.
§ Mr. PowellI am still in communication with them.
§ Mr. LiptonWill the right hon. Gentleman take a strong line on this issue? Is it not quite scandalous that private commercial interests should arrogate to themselves the right of deciding what kind of posters and literature should be displayed by the Ministry of Health in connection with this very serious problem of smoking and lung cancer?
§ Mr. PowellI note what the hon. Gentleman says. I would rather not make any statement while I am still in communication with the Committee.
§ Dr. StrossWhilst the Minister has been in communication with the interested party, the advertising interests, has he informed them how serious the problem is and that we can expect anything up to 1 million further deaths in the next thirty years from cancer of the lung due to this factor?
§ Mr. PowellI am fully seized of the seriousness of this factor, and I lose no opportunity of emphasising it.