HL Deb 27 January 1986 vol 470 cc434-5

2.45 p.m.

Viscount Hanworth

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware that the British Medical Association has published a paper estimating the cost to the National Health Service of diseases arising several decades ago said to have arisen from cigarette smoking, and whether they agree that the costs are unlikely to be very different from the costs of caring for patients suffering from other diseases, and that professional bodies such as the British Medical Association have special obligations to give a balanced picture.

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, there is no doubt that smoking is by far the greatest avoidable cause of illness and premature death, an issue of deep concern to the medical profession and to the Government alike. We welcome the publicity from The Big Kill, the report issued by the British Medical Association and the Health Education Council. By focusing attention on the scale of smoking-related deaths and disease and the health costs they incur, we believe that a proper emphasis has been given to the problem.

Viscount Hanworth

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for that reply. Would she not agree that the statistics, as they stand, are alarmist, misleading and unethical, certainly as coming from a body of the stature of the BMA? Would she further agree that their effect is not to do what we would all like to do, which is to stop young people taking up smoking, but to lead to the harassment of those who, despite knowing the facts, decide to continue to smoke?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, the report estimates that over 200 people die every single day from a smoking-related cause. That is indeed an alarming figure, but not misleading. I am sure that the noble Viscount would agree that it is desirable that these facts are fully publicised so that people know the risks that they may run from smoking, and can make informed choices. This must be particularly so as far as the discouragement of young people from taking up smoking is concerned.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, will the noble Baroness accept my gratitude and, I am certain, that of noble Lords on all sides of the House, for the reply that she has given? In fairness to the BMA, would she confirm that there is no evidence at all that the document that she and I have read, and that the noble Viscount must also have read, provides inaccurate statistics? May I also ask whether she would dissociate the Government from the view expressed to the BMA by the noble Viscount, that early death saves the state from pensions and other consequences of longevity?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, in reply to the first part of the noble Lord's question, I would say that certainly the report known as The Big Kill is supported by other reports, and particularly by the Royal College of Physicians' report entitled Health or Smoking? which in fact puts some of the figures at higher levels. So far as the assessment of the cost of smoking is concerned, health is of course not simply a question of economics and the Government's aim must be to reduce preventable illness and unnecessary loss of life.

Lord Boyd-Carpenter

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that most of us think that the BMA has done a considerable public service by bringing out so vividly the danger of smoking, and that their report is not, as the noble Viscount opposite said, alarmist, but just alarming?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, I agree.

Baroness Masham of Ilton

My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether she is aware that many other organisations, such as the Royal College of Surgeons, also are working hard on health protection? Only last Thursday they had a meeting to discuss methods of preventing spinal injuries. Would she not agree that all these initiatives need encouragement and should be welcomed, but that some, such as cigarette smoking, are easier to cope with than others?

Baroness Hooper

My Lords, preventive methods of health care are receiving a great deal of consideration. Certainly the Government's policy, which is a voluntary policy on smoking, is greatly aided by the maximum publicity on the risks involved.

Forward to