§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the level of sports sponsorship by (a) tobacco companies, and (b) all other companies for each of the last 10 years; and what percentage the level of sponsorship by tobacco companies represents of that of all other companies for each of those years.
§ Mr. Tracey[pursuant to his reply, 9 April 1986, c. 142]: Under the terms of the voluntary agreement on the sponsorship of sport by tobacco companies, the industry informs my Department of its annual expenditure on sports sponsorship on a confidential basis. I cannot, therefore, make these figures available.
170WThe level of sports sponsorship by all companies has been estimated by the Sports Council only for the last five years; the figures are £35 million (1980), £50 million (1981), £84.7 million (1982), £100.2 million (1983), £112 million (1984) and £128 million (1985).
Since the voluntary agreement limits the tobacco companies' expenditure to the 1976 in real terms, the increase in the overall level of commercial sponsorship means that the tobacco industry's expenditure is decreasing each year as a proportion of all sponsorship. Current independent estimates place that proportion at less than 10 per cent.