§ Lord Braine of Wheatleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the number of lives which would be saved if the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes were increased by a further £1. [HL1118]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)While it is known that the price of tobacco affects consumption, it is not possible to relate price rises directly to the number of deaths caused by smoking.
However, the recently published Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health's report has highlighted the subject of price and consumption of tobacco (which was addressed in the British Medical Bulletin (January 1996) by Joy Townsend, MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine. The Medical College of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London), where it was found that cigarette consumption decreases by about 0.5 per cent. for a 1 per cent. increase in price adjusted for inflation.