§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the 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 possibility of advertisements for cigarettes being prohibited, or severely curtailed, in order to prevent encouragement of a disease-promoting habit, what action is contemplated to curtail advertisements on television and other media that encourage alcoholism and other diseases through excessive consumption of alcohol; and whether any proposals have been received from cigarette manufacturers, brewers, vintners and distillers in respect of voluntary advertising restrictions.]
2§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (LORD ABERDARE)My Lords, there is already considerable curtailment of advertising on television: distillers have agreed not to advertise hard liquor, and television advertisements for other forms of alcohol are not permitted, under the Advertising Advisory Committee's code of practice, immediately before, during or after children's programmes. No further approaches have been received from the manufacturers about voluntary restrictions on the advertising of alcohol.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, while thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask whether he does not think it is inconsistent completely to ban cigarette advertising and not the advertising of drink, which is the cause of just as much trouble? May I also ask him whether the Government have made any representation to the brewers and distillers to see whether they cannot further curtail the advertisements of their products on television?
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, on the noble Lord's first point, with respect it is true to say that there is a slight difference between cigarette smoking and alcohol. Even a moderate amount of cigarette smoking may be harmful to health, whereas alcohol consumption, in moderation, is not. On the second point, we have not made any representations.
§ LORD SORENSENMy Lords, is the Minister aware that alcohol is one of the causes of cirrhosis of the liver, and similar complaints?
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, there is no evidence that the figures for cirrhosis of the liver have been rising. They are steady.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, having regard to the fact that people are imitative, does the Minister think that prohibition such as he has already described is of any use while commentators and glamorous heroes of the screen are chain-smokers?
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, I agree that it is another form of insidious propaganda that comes through, but I do not think there is anything that the Government can appropriately do about it.
BARONESS SUMMER SKILLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord another supplementary question? How can this prohibition be effective when this kind of encouragement is given on the screen? What is the purpose of the one prohibition when he takes little notice of the other licence?
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, I am not quite clear which prohibition the noble Baroness is talking about. There is voluntary agreement among distillers not to advertise hard liquor, and there is a further code of practice of the Advertising Advisory Committee, which controls the showing of advertisements during or immediately before or after children's programme.
§ LORD PARGITERMy Lords, would not the noble Lord agree that if the advertisers of alcohol were obliged to put the price of their product on each advertisement it might deter some people from buying it?