§ 77. Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in the interests of health, he will take steps to stop the sale of cigarettes in the outpatient departments of hospitals.
§ Mr. Crossman:Hospital authorities were asked in 1963 to revise their rules about smoking in the light of advice from the Central Health Services Council. It was suggested that smoking by out-patients and those accompanying them should generally be forbidden, and that cigarettes and tobacco should not be on display in canteens or shops in general hospitals; prohibitions on sale, as distinct from display, were not suggested.
I am considering whether new guidance is needed.