§ Mr. Beanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is yet in a position to announce the outcome of his discussion with the tobacco industry about sports sponsorship; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Denis HowellI have reached agreement with the tobacco industry on the sponsorship of sport on the basis that expenditure on such sponsorship in the United Kingdom by each individual tobacco manufacturer should not rise in real terms above the 1976 level. Companies will be free to move funds from one sporting activity to another, but any proposal to sponsor a major sport which has not previously been sponsored by the industry will be subject to prior consultation with me.
The agreement also provides that the display of sponsors' signs at televised events will be governed by an agreed code of practice. For example, where a cigarette manufacturer determines the name of a sponsored sporting event he will avoid the use of any qualifying words or numerals which have individual cigarette brand connotations. The code of practice provides that the display of house or brand names or symbols on participants in sporting events or on their equipment is not permitted. I have agreed, however, to a temporary exemption for one sponsor to meet contractual requirements.
The industry has agreed that these arrangements should remain in force for a period of three years at least, and the arrangements have been endorsed by the Secretary of State for Social Services. He shares my satisfaction that an agreement has been reached which reconciles the importance of sports sponsorship by the tobacco industry with the Government's strategy on smoking and health.
A copy of the agreement and code of practice have been placed in the Library.