§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what response he is making to the report from the Royal College of Physicians on the rising number of deaths from smoking.
§ Mr. John PattenI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Battersea (Mr. Dubs) on 1 December.—[Vol. 49, c.615.] The figure of "not less than 100,000" suggested in the fourth report of the Royal College of Physicians refers to deaths at all ages and is specifically stated not to be comparable with the mortality figures in the college's previous reports, from which an estimate of at least 50,000 early deaths per year was derived.