HC Deb 08 May 1984 vol 59 cc724-6
10. Mr. Yeo

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost to his Department arising from the consequences of smoking.

Mr. John Patten

The information available relates only to the cost to the National Health Service. It is estimated that the annual cost to the NHS in England and Wales of diseases attributable to smoking is about £170 million at current prices.

Mr. Yeo

Does my hon. Friend agree that the real cost to his Department of smoking and smoking-related disease is much higher than that and includes such items as the lifelong support of handicapped people whose handicap can be attributed to heavy smoking by their mothers during pregnancy, and the support of widows and children whose husbands and fathers have been killed by smoking? Does he further agree that the enormity of the cost is an overwhelming argument for stronger action to discourage smoking?

Mr. Patten

My hon. Friend is right to say that we cannot accurately judge the cost to my Department, or to the Government as a whole, of smoking cigarettes. It is clear that the list of problems which he outlined is not complete—for example, the 50 million days a year lost by people at their places of work —but Government action in the last four or five years has resulted in a considerable reduction both in the number of people who smoke cigarettes and in the number of cigarettes smoked.

Mr. Dubs

In the light of the enormous economic and social costs to the country of smoking, is it not unacceptable and intolerable that night after night on our television screens we see sporting and other events that are sponsored by the cigarette companies? When will the Minister take action on that?

Mr. Patten

I do not want to get too deeply drawn into that issue, because it is a matter for my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibilities for sport and not one of my ministerial responsibilities. However, I shall hazard one remark—[Interruption.]—if I can make it heard—

Mr. Speaker

Order.

Mr. Patten

—over the raucous noise that is coming from the Opposition Benches. There is no clear and unequivocable evidence to show whether advertising does or does not increase the smoking of cigarettes by children or anyone else.

Sir William Clark

Does my hon. Friend agree that the Exchequer benefits to the extent of £4,500 million from the tax on cigarettes? Would he care to speculate on the way in which that revenue would be raised by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer if everyone stopped smoking? Will he give us some idea of how that would be done?

Mr. Patten

I do not know how my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer would raise the lost revenue, but that is not a matter for me. However, my hon. Friend's figures are exactly right, as I believe he knows. We have a National Health Service as opposed to a national sickness service and one of the duties of the NHS is to draw to the public's attention the considerable health risks that they face if they smoke.

Mr. Pavitt

Will the Minister do a little homework and examine the figures? Will he first examine the work of Sir George Godber, a previous Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health? Secondly, will he examine the report of the Royal College of Physicians? Thirdly, will he read a book entitled "Smoke Rings", which was written by Mr. Peter Taylor? He will find in "Smoke Rings" that the contention that children in Glasgow are persuaded to adopt certain smoking habits as a result of watching snooker is fully justified?

Mr. Patten

The evidence about the effect of advertising is not incontrovertible. For example, for the past 10 years the advertising of cigarettes has been banned in Norway yet the decline in smoking in that country has been much less than in Britain over the same period.