§ Lord Brightmanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the statement in The Times of 14 November (page 22) that £1,700,000,000 a year is spent by the Department of Health in treating tobacco related diseases is thought to be approximately correct.
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington): Yes, figures released recently by the Health Education Authority estimate the annual cost to the National Health Service of treating smoking related disease is between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion.