§ 29. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Health, in view of the fact that cigarette consumption in the United Kingdom rose by 2½ per cent. in 1957 to 102,288 million and increased by another 3 per cent. in 1958, what new information he has to give on the effect of cigarette smoking on lung cancer; to what extent official research proves that filter-tipped cigarettes are less dangerous; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithNo new information of major significance on the relationship between lung cancer and smoking has become available since the statement by the Medical Research Council in 1957; a number of subsequent papers and reports have, however, confirmed the Council's assessment. There has been no official research in this country to demonstrate whether filter-tipped cigarettes are less dangerous. It continues to be the Government's policy to make the risks of smoking known to the public through local health authorities as part of their health education measures.