§ Sir David PriceTo ask the Prime Minister if he will seek to establish co-ordination between the Department of Health's policies on the discouragement of smoking and support through the common agricultural policy for tobacco growing.
§ The Prime MinisterThe United Kingdom has long been critical of the EC tobacco support regime and has consistently pressed for measures to reduce the level of subsidy.
Ministers at the Department of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have raised the mat ter with their European colleagues on many occasions and will continue to do so.
193WThe Commission has agreed to bring forward proposals shortly for a revision of the tobacco regime and, although details are not yet available, we are hopeful of progress.