§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will exempt international yacht racing from the ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship. [16930]
§ Ms JowellWe have always said that the Government want to reduce the exposure of children and young people to tobacco advertising. That is why we gave a manifesto commitment to ban tobacco advertising as part of a fully developed tobacco control strategy. Our aim is to remove tobacco advertising from sports events without damaging the events themselves, and sports like international yacht racing will need time to find other sponsors.
Discussions are under way within Government on how best to achieve this and my hon. Friend the Minister for Sport is consulting the sports concerned. Plans include a transitional period.