§ Mr. PageTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the percentage of service personnel who smoke.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo service-wide assessment has been made, although a sample survey in 1989 among 4,000 adult male personnel found that 35 per cent. were cigarette smokers and a further 3.6 per cent. were cigar or pipe smokers.
§ Mr. PageTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to discourage smoking in the services.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Ministry of Defence gives wide publicity to the harmful effects of smoking, by way of publishing and displaying anti-smoking literature and posters in defence establishments. Furthermore, it is official policy to discourage smoking on Ministry of Defence premises. In addition, as my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Freeman) announced in the House on 5 December 1988, the price of "Blue Liners", the specially produced low-priced cigarettes and tobacco 607W available to Royal Navy personnel serving in United Kingdom shore establishments, has been increased progressively arid the concession will cease altogether in December 1991.