§ Mr. John E. B. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement about the work of the Standing Scientific Liaison Committee which he set up jointly with the tobacco industry to advise on the scientific aspects of matters relating to smoking and health.
§ Sir K. JosephThe committee produced a most useful report on the significance to health of tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes, on the method of determining these yields and on the publication of the figures for the various brands of packeted cigarettes. I accepted these main recommendations and the first figures should be published by the end of April.
The committee has also given some consideration to the testing of new smoking materials but experience has shown that a wider range of skills and experience will be helpful to the furtherance of this work. The tobacco industry and I have therefore agreed to replace the existing committee with a new one composed of independent experts, and to establish a new working relationship with the industry's scientists in the form of a panel on which they would sit under the chairmanship of Dr. F. A. Fairweather of my Department, who will be the secretary of the new committee.
The committee will be set up as soon as possible so that there will be no avoid- 144W able delay in the continuation of this important work. I am very glad to say that Professor R. B. Hunter, Vice Chancellor of Birmingham University, has agreed to be its chairman, and I am discussing with him and the industry its precise terms of reference.