§ Mr. BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representation he has received from the tobacco manufacturers or from lobbying organisations seeking the reduction of public funding for anti-smoking campaigns.
§ Mrs. CurrieNone.
§ Mr. BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what action he is taking to discourage smoking in workplaces;
(2) if he has any plans to introduce legislation to prohibit smoking in public places or to reduce the number of public places in which it is permitted;
(3) when the report by the independent scientific committee on smoking and health on the effects of the involuntary inhalation of tobacco smoke by non-smokers will be published.
§ Mrs. CurrieWe expect to receive the fourth report of the independent scientific committee on smoking and Health around the end of the year, after which a decision on publication will be taken. I understand that the report will include references to the dangers associated with breathing environmental tobacco smoke, on which the committee made an interim statement earlier this year. We 283W shall then be able to consider any further action that may be needed on smoking in public places and the workplace. The Government's "Look After Your Heart" campaign is working with employers to encourage the introduction of no-smoking policies at the workplace, and through the newly introduced "Heartbeat Award Scheme" we hope to encourage more no-smoking areas in restaurants.
§ Mr. BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table showing the latest estimate of the number of deaths caused by smoking in one calendar year in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. CurrieIt is not possible to be precise. Most deaths associated with cigarette smoking arise from three diseases : lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and "heart attacks" due to obstruction of the arteries of the heart. However, the proportion of deaths attributable to smoking from each of these diseases varies. Furthermore, smoking is also implicated in certain other conditions where no estimate of the numbers of the deaths caused by smoking is available—for example, obstruction of the arteries of the lower limbs, and strokes.
It is estimated that at least 90 per cent. of deaths from cancers of the lung, lip, oesophagus and larynx, and 90 per cent. of deaths from chronic bronchitis obstructive lung disease, chronic pulmonary heart disease and aortic aneurysm are attributable to smoking. The total number of deaths from these conditions involved is given in the table.
United Kingdom—1986 ICD Code1 Number 162 Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung 40,139 140–149 Malignant neoplasm of lip, oral cavity and pharynx 1,906 150 Malignant neoplasm of oesophagus 5,227 161 Malignant neoplasm of larynx 945 416 Chronic pulmonary heart disease 844 441 Aortic aneurism 8,342 490–492, 496 Bronchitis and emphysema, chronic airways obstruction, not elsewhere classified 30,043 In 1983 the Royal College of Physicians in its report "Health or Smoking" estimated that perhaps 20 per cent. of deaths due to obstruction of the arteries of the heart were related to smoking. The medical term for this condition is "ischaemic heart disease" but it is commonly referred to as "coronary heart disease". The total number of deaths from this condition for United Kingdom is as follows:
United Kingdom—1986 ICD Code1 Number 410–414 Ischaemic heart disease 181,491 1 International Classification of Diseases 9th revision.