HL Deb 23 November 1978 vol 396 cc1117-8

4.45 p.m.

The MINISTER of STATE, NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE (Lord Melchett) rose to move, That the draft Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, laid before the House on 7th November, be approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, the main objects of this order are to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to children and young people under 16, and to introduce a mandatory vocational training scheme for doctors entering general practice.

At the moment, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where there is no restriction on the sale of tobacco and tobacco products to young people. There was a restriction until 1950, but the legislation was repealed then, and has not been re-enacted. The Ulster Cancer Foundation was very concerned that there was no control over the sale of tobacco to children and young people, and mounted a strong campaign for a change in the law. I think all noble Lords will agree about the damage that smoking can do to people's health and about the importance of discouraging young people from smoking. I am glad that this order enables us to bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom, and this is done by Articles 3 to 7.

The 1976 National Health Service (Vocational Training) Act, which provided for the introduction of mandatory training for doctors entering general practice, did not extend to Northern Ireland. After consultations in Northern Ireland with the medical profession and the Health and Social Services Boards, the Government decided to introduce similar mandatory training in Northern Ireland, and this is done in Article 8. The rest of the order makes a series of minor amendments to the existing health and personal social services legislation in Northern Ireland. I beg to move.

Moved, That the draft Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1978, laid before the House on 7th November, be approved.—(Lord Melchett.)

Viscount LONG

My Lords, I am sure that the whole House will be grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Melchett, for his explanatory note on this order. May I welcome him home again; he is always in Northern Ireland and very busy. I am sure we are all grateful and pleased to see him again. I am quite amazed that the youth of Northern Ireland should have got away for so long with being able to purchase tobacco when under the age of 16. I, and I am sure, my noble friends on this side of the House will gladly go along with the improvement in this order bringing it into line with the rest of the United Kingdom. That also goes for the rest of this order. We have no further comment to make on it.

On Question, Motion agreed to.