§ Mr. Simsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether his voluntary agreement with the tobacco industry on cigarette advertising includes an undertaking that the industry will not encourage smoking among children;
(2) what steps he takes monitor the effectiveness of his voluntary agreement with the tobacco industry on cigarette advertising; and what information he has about the incidence of breaches of the agreement.
§ Mr. John PattenWithin the voluntary agreement on cigarette advertising, which has the protection of young people as a specific aim, the cigarette companies undertake to observe the cigarette advertising code of practice. This includes a requirement that cigarette advertisements should not seek to encourage young people to smoke. The voluntary agreement as a whole is carefully monitored by this Department, and the cigarette code by the Advertising Standards Authority.
§ Mr. Simsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to take in the light of a recent incident in Covent Garden in which a group purporting to represent the tobacco industry distributed to children material bearing slogans encouraging them to smoke.
§ Mr. John PattenWe have no direct knowledge of the incident to which my hon. Friend refers, but if he cares to write to me with details I will gladly look into it.