§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the Health Education Council's budget is currently being spent on anti-smoking campaigns; whether further public money will be spent for the purpose in the next financial year; and what criteria he will be taking into account in reaching a decision on this matter.
§ Mr. WhitneyAbout one-fifth of the Health Education Council's (HEC) current budget of £10.1 million is allocated to smoking education and smoking is included in other programmes, particularly that concerned with preventing coronary heart diseases. The HEC has provisionally allocated £1.8 million for its smoking education budget in 1986–87, reflecting the importance it continues to attach to this subject. In addition, the Government are providing £1 million to test the effectiveness of an advertising campaign to discourage teenage smoking. This reflects our particular concern, which I know the HEC shares, to dissuade young people from starting to smoke.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to increase the level of grant paid by his Department to Action on Smoking and Health.
§ Mr. WhitneyConsideration will be given to next year's level of funding of ASH when we receive their grant application for 1986–87.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the amount of Government funding used by the Health Education Council to finance anti-smoking campaigns in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information is as follows:
Year £ Million 1984–85 2.1 1983–84 2.6 1982–83 2.4
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what funds have been made available by his Department to Action on Smoking and Health in the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information is as follows:
Grant to Action on Smoking and Health £ 1985–86 150,840 1984–85 136,000 1983–84 118,000
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to increase that 117W element of the grant paid by his Department to the Health Education Council for campaigning on the issue of smoking.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe Health Education Council (HEC) determines the allocation of its overall budget in discussion with the Department. The council is expecting to spend about £1.8 million on its smoking education programme in 1985–86 and has provisionally allocated a similar amount for this purpose next year. In addition, we are making available to the HEC extra funds as part of a £1 million pilot media campaign against teenage smoking.