§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many smokers each week(a) die and (b) give up smoking; and how many people start smoking.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe information is not available centrally in the form requested. It is estimated that in the United Kingdom about 2,100 deaths each week are smoking related.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the incidence of severe congenital malformations in the children of(a) smoking and (b) non-smoking fathers.
§ Dr. MawhinneyNone.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the proportion of doctors who smoke in each European Community country.
§ Dr. MawhinneyIn 1989, the percentages of general medical practitioners in the European Community who smoked were as follows:
171W
Per cent. Belgium 28 Denmark 38 West Germany 24 Greece 39 Spain 44 France 31 Ireland 20 Italy 41 Luxembourg 36 Netherlands 29
Per cent. Portugal 39 United Kingdom 10 Source: Commission of the European Communities, 1989.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the differential levels of smoking of children of smokers, and non-smokers.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in its 1990 survey of smoking among secondary school children reported that, in England, children whose parents both smoked were two and a half times as likely to be regular smokers as were those who said neither of their parents smoked—15 per cent. and 6 per cent. respectively. Children reporting one smoking parent fell between these two levels while the behaviour of the mother seemed to have a stronger influence than that of the father. The full report of this survey—"Smoking Among Secondary School Children in 1990", OPCS, HMSO 1991—is available in the Library.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the tax and the retail price of cigarettes in each European Community country.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe retail price, duty and total tax, including VAT, of the most popular pack of 20 cigarettes in each EC country as at February 1992 is shown in the table.
Price (pence) Duty Total tax (inc. VAT) Belgium 113 75 82 Denmark 233 158 200 France 104 54 71 Germany 146 89 107 Greece 42 19 30 Ireland 215 124 161 Italy 87 49 63 Luxembourg 81 50 58 Netherlands 104 58 74 Portugal 60 36 45 Spain 32 15 18 United Kingdom 208 124 155