HL Deb 28 March 1974 vol 350 cc721-3
LORD SUDELEY

My 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 whether in the interests of smokers' health, cigarette manufacturers will be required to introduce and gradually to increase the proportion of Turkish or Oriental leaf in their blends.

LORD WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, Her Majesty's Government are aware of nothing which would justify such a requirement. The tar and nicotine yields of a number of Turkish cigarettes have been analysed recently by the Government Chemist. Although testing was on a small scale, the results gave no reason to take the view that Turkish cigarettes are less hazardous to health than the brands of cigarettes mainly sold in this country. It appears that in general, although the nicotine-to-tar ratio of Turkish cigarettes may be on the low side, their nicotine yield is not low and their tar yield is high.

LORD SUDELEY

My Lords, may I welcome and congratulate the noble Lord on speaking for the first time from the Dispatch Box? While thanking him very much indeed for his most interesting Answer, may I ask him whether he is aware that those who smoke Turkish cigarettes smoke fewer of them, so on the whole that would seem to be more beneficial to public health?

LORD WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord for his generosity. I did not know that that was so. I am not myself a cigarette smoker and therefore I am not in a position to know it. As I said a moment ago, some tests have been made on about eight brands of Turkish cigarettes; and the results compared with the tests done on some 105 brands sold in this country show that the tar yield is exceptionally high and that the nicotine yield is also high. If these cigarettes were put among the 105 brands in the five tables which we have denoting tar yield, each of the brands in question would in fact be in the high tar-yield bracket. So it is felt that no useful purpose would be served as regards meeting what is perhaps in the noble Lord's mind.

BARONESS SUMMERSKILL

My Lords, are the Government able to confirm the fact that the incidence of lung cancer in Turks is higher than in British men?

LORD WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, in reply to my noble friend, I am bound to say that we have no information on this matter. We do not know what the incidence of lung cancer is among Turkish people, and I think we might welcome some information on this.

LORD HAILSHAM OF SAINT MARYLEBONE

But, my Lords, is it not a well-known fact that Turkish cigarettes are usually made in Greece?

LORD FERRIER

My Lords, I should like to associate myself with my noble friend Lord Sudeley in congratulating the noble Lord on his first speech from the Dispatch Box. I believe that the Government have some solicitude for sufferers from lung cancer, so may I ask if they would consider making a reduction in the price of pipe tobacco, since pipe smokers do not suffer from lung cancer to the same extent as cigarette smokers?

LORD WELLS-PESTELL

My Lords, I am tempted to say to the noble Lord that this could perhaps be regarded as another Question, but I shall be very happy to draw the attention of my right honourable friend to his remarks.

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, when the noble Lord says that no useful purpose would be served, is he not aware that perhaps one useful purpose really would be served; that is, to stimulate trade between this country and Turkey, Greece and other countries where Turkish tobacco is grown?

LORD WELLS-PESTELL

I think, my Lords, that would be only at the expense of the health of people in this country.

VISCOUNT MONCK

My Lords, will the noble Lord also accept my humble congratulations? Following that, may I ask him whether he is aware that my noble friend Lord Ferrier is a pipe smoker?

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