§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government, in view of the frequent appearance of advertisements promoting the sale of alcoholic beverages and the ill-effect on health due to excessive consumption of alcohol, what further consideration has been given to the desirability of encouraging the Independent Television Authority to impose the same restriction on such advertisements as now operates in respect of advertisements of cigarettes.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (BARONESS SEROTA)My Lords, I am afraid I cannot add a great deal to the reply given to the noble Lord on November 20, 1968, which expressed doubt whether a ban on television advertising would add much to other measures of control. On that occasion, my noble friend Lord Kennet made the point that, by agreement between the distillers, there is almost no advertising of hard liquor on television, so the position is not very different from that on tobacco, where the ban applies to cigarettes but not to cigars or pipe tobacco which are less harmful to health.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, may I ask whether she is aware that when I turn on the television late at night there is usually an advertisement for some kind of alcoholic liquor? Further, is my noble friend aware that expenditure on television advertising of alcohol 1100 had steadily increased in the last five years? Does she not agree that this represents a gross inconsistency between the treatment of one deleterious substance and another?
§ BARONESS SEROTAUnfortunately, my Lords, I do not share the noble Lord's opportunity for watching television in the evening. Naturally, we are concerned with the need to prevent alcoholism and to treat it where it occurs. Recently my Department has sent advice to local authorities and to health authorities asking them to take measures to this end.
§ LORD BOOTHBYMy Lords, will the noble Baroness bear in mind that, taken in moderation, alcohol is highly beneficial to health?
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that we are not dealing with that? I am dealing with excessive consumption.
§ LORD FRASER OF LONSDALEMy Lords, while some may allow their appetites to run away with them, is it not a fact that beer and whisky and wine are great comforters and great contributors to friendliness in the British pub? Moreover, wine at least is sanctioned by Holy Writ. May I finally say that I have a deep interest in this matter?
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)My Lords, I had expected the noble Lord to come to his question. but when he said "May I say" I thought he was going a little too far.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, may I be permitted to ask one further question of my noble friend? Is she aware that, however beneficial alcohol is to some people, it certainly is of no benefit to those who suffer from sclerosis of the liver?
§ LORD SOMERSMy Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness whether she knows of any one specific case where an advertisement for either tobacco or alcohol has persuaded any person who does not smoke or drink to do so?
§ BARONESS SEROTAMy Lords, we are venturing into fields which are as yet to a great extent uncharted. I should 1101 only like the House to know that in the earlier part of this year the Scottish Health Education Unit ran a poster campaign drawing attention to the prevalence of alcoholism in Scotland. The campaign has now been concluded, and the effect of such a campaign is now being evaluated. Unfortunately, our state of knowledge in this field is almost non-existent.