§ Mr. Michael BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what medical evidence is available to him about the comparative health risks of(a) smoking cigarettes and (b) ingesting oral tobacco products; and if he will break down this evidence as between the different forms of health risks.
§ Mrs. CurrieI refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Sir D. Smith) on 23 March 1988, at columns153–54.
§ Mr. Michael BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps Her Majesty's Government now propose to take in the light of the publication of the Froggatt report on passive smoking to persuade smokers to change to alternative methods of ingesting tobacco; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe Government do not propose to encourage alternative forms of tobacco consumption, as all common use of tobacco carries a significant risk to health.