§ 2.40 p.m.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy 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 view of the exposures made by Social Audit, they will conduct an inquiry into the promotion of drugs and food sales in Third World countries.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of HEALTH and SOCIAL SECURITY (Lord Wells-Pestell)No, my Lords; the burden of this report is that the operations of multinational companies in the Third World should be subject to a code of conduct. Her Majesty's Government are participating in the work on a United Nations' code of conduct concerning the activities of such companies worldwide; and are also making a voluntary financial contribution to the Commission's technical co-operation programme which aims to help developing countries to negotiate effectively with these companies.
§ Lord BROCKWAYMy Lords, I thank the Minister especially for the information with which he concluded the Answer. However, is it not the case that this wide advertising campaign promotes the sale to the Third World of products which it does not need, which it can barely afford and which often bring no benefit? Is it not often misleading and sometimes dangerous? Is it not the case that manufactured foodstuffs advertise their protein value when they are less than the staple values, and that sometimes those foodstuffs cost 100 times more than staple foods? Is it not dangerous that a drug which is not allowed for sale over our counters is freely sold in India by a subsidiary of Boots? In addition to what the noble Lord has suggested, will he refer this matter to UNCTAD and the Commonwealth Secretariat?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, it is for the Governments of the Third World countries to decide whether they will permit that to happen. If I may say so with very great respect, there is a limit to what Her Majesty's Government can do. May I just say that the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry already publishes a consolidated Compendium of United Kingdom drug "data sheets," and that is available for reference to any country or any regulatory authority elsewhere. So far as Her Majesty's Government are concerned, we have taken up the matter with the main firms in the pharmaceutical and food industries. We have asked them to look into the matter and we hope to hear from them in due course as to what action they are proposing to take.
§ Lord AVEBURYMy Lords, as regards the particular question of the sale of artificial milk products for babies in the Third World, is it not a fact that the Department of Health has recommended breast-feeding as the most beneficial way of feeding small infants? In view of that fact, is it not inconsistent that large quantities of these artificial feeds should be sold to the Third World? Moreover, is it not also inconsistent that, although the Ministry of Overseas Development is emphasising rural health in its programmes to many of the poorer countries, at the same time multinational companies are selling these artificial foods which are undermining the efforts of our aid programme?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government subscribe to the view and recommend that breastfeeding is preferable and desirable. However, I should like to emphasise what I said a few moments ago. We have taken up this matter with the food industries as well as the pharmaceutical industries, and I have no doubt that we have made that point and shall make it again.
§ Lord RITCHIE-CALDERMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that his last remarks will be some reassurance at least to the World Health Organisation as well as to others who deplore the fact that many of the dubious drugs which are produced in the highly-developed countries, and which are barred from those countries by, for example, the Food and Drugs Act in America and by our own legislation here, are, in fact, being promoted as large-scale clinical experiments on people who do not even know that they are being experimented upon?