§ Mr. Molloyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she is satisfied with the imbalance between amounts spent by the tobacco industry on sales promotion and the amount spent 358W by the Government in anti-smoking undertakings.
§ Dr. OwenNo, I am not, and that is why in July 1974 I proposed to the tobacco industry that it should voluntarily contribute a sizeable proportion of its total expenditure on promotion towards public education about the dangers to health of smoking. This proposal was rejected by the industry. At present the Government's health education programme on the dangers to health from smoking has to be met from within the overall NHS budget which makes it impossible to justify matching the industry's promotional activity. I have made it clear in the current discussions with the industry over the application of the Medicines Act 1968 that I consider that there is a possible rôle for advertising and promotion in encouraging those who cannot immediately give up smoking to switch progressively to cigarettes giving lower yields of the products which on medical and scientific grounds are most dangerous to health.
§ Mr. Molloyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate she has made of the present amount spent by the tobacco industry on sales promotion.
§ Dr. OwenThe tobacco industry does not reveal its total promotional expenditure. We have been told by the industry that expenditure on Press, poster and cinema advertising of cigarettes in the United Kingdom was about £15 million in the financial year 1974–75.
I have no information about what is spent by the industry on coupon schemes, but we estimate that the value of gift coupons, which is, of course, reflected in the price of cigarettes, was over £50 million last year.
I asked the Tobacco Advisory Committee for information about promotional expenditure through sponsorship as I had agreed to do in my reply to the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) on 17th July—[Vol. 895, c. 565]—but it has told me that data is not available at present on an industry basis.
§ Mr. Molloyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the Government's financial contribution in 359W aiding anti-smoking endeavours of all kinds.
§ Dr. OwenExpenditure incurred directly by the Department of Health and Social Security on reducing the dangers to health of smoking is estimated at about £250,000 during the present financial year. Expenditure by the Health Education Council in this connection is now expected to be not less than £360,000; by the Scottish Health Education Unit £174,000; and by the Medical and Social Science Research Councils about £34,000. The relatively small levels of expenditure by other Government Departments, mainly in staff costs, are not readily ascertainable, nor can the expenditure by health authorities on anti-smoking clinics and health education on smoking be readily identified.