§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the contribution of the inclusion of substitute material in cigarettes to the Government's objective of reducing the health risks 749W from smoking; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MoyleI welcome this opportunity of clarifying a subject which has attracted much attention.
Our first objective is to discourage people from starting to smoke, and to encourage those who already smoke to give up. But it is also an important part of the Government's strategy to encourage and initiate measures to make smoking less dangerous for those who are unable to give up the habit of cigarette smoking. One such measure has been to encourage the industry to conduct research into and to develop substitute material for use in cigarettes, and I readily acknowledge its willing response to this encouragement and its substantial investment in this work.
Before cigarettes containing substitute material were first marketed in July this year manufacturers had submitted to the Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health detailed results of laboratory tests, including tests on animals, in respect of two substitute materials. The committee was able, in the light of the evidence presented to it to conclude that cigarettes containing the tobacco substitutes were no more damaging to health than a similar product containing tobacco only, and could prove to be less injurious; and was able to accept submissions for the marketing of certain brands of cigarette containing specified quantities of the substitute materials. Its decisions were made subject to a general condition that long-term epidemiological studies should be mounted in order to confirm the existing evidence based on laboratory tests and to monitor the widespread use by humans of cigarettes containing substitutes. Plans to mount these studies were later prepared and are currently being modified for submission to the committee.
I fully accept the findings of the committee. I regard it as important for the success of this aspect of the Government's policy on smoking and health that there should be a substitute material which is known to be capable of reducing risks to health. I hope that the human studies now in hand will lead to this conclusion, and I hope also that the industry will continue with its research and development work in order to achieve a sub- 750W stitute material which will offer even greater health advantages. These are developments which the Government would very much welcome, so that substitutes can take their place with other health measures, such as reduction of tar yields, as part of the strategy to make smoking less dangerous. In the meantime, the general advice already given to those who continue to smoke but who are concerned about their health remains valid. They should choose a brand with as low a tar yield as they feel able. The latest issue of the Government's tar tables includes manufacturers' estimates of the tar yield of brands containing tobacco substitutes as well as that of all-tobacco brands.