§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he intends to take to curb smoking among teenage girls in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettThe Health Promotion Authority for Wales—HPAW—features the prevention of smoking predominantly in its Youth Life Wales programme, which includes support for school health education and other youth sector projects. Two life education centres are currently touring schools throughout the Principality. The authority also contributes, along with ASH in Wales and Tenovous cancer information centre, to the running of Smokebusters Wales/Mygu Mwg Cymru. This anti-smoking project was launched on 30 October 1991 and is aimed at children between the ages of nine and 13. The Department is supporting the project financially.
31WThe HPAW in association with other organisations has mounted a number of national and local campaigns including No Smoking Day in Wales. The authority also encourages public transport operators and the retail and catering trade to provide no-smoking areas, to help to create supportive environments which discourage smoking.
Much sterling work with young people is also being carried out by district health promotion units of district health authorities. My Department also provides financial support for ASH in Wales.
More generally, it is an offence to sell cigarettes to anyone under 16 years of age and the Government are examining means of tightening up the law on illegal sales.