§ Dr. BrandTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Minister is the head of the task force on alternatives to tobacco sponsorship announced on 25 November 1997; who are its members; on what dates it has met; what meetings are currently planned; and if he will make a statement on its progress to date. [50703]
§ Mr. BanksThe EU Tobacco Directive provides up to three years for domestic legislation to be implemented, and a further two years for the ban on sports sponsorship by tobacco companies to be enforced. Up to a further three years may be allowed in exceptional circumstances for existing sponsorship of events organised at a global level, provided sponsorship levels and associated advertising are reduced.
With this timescale in mind, I will chair a Task Force to help sports in receipt of tobacco sponsorship to identify alternative sponsors. The Task Force has not yet been formally constituted, although I have had an initial informal meeting with sports and business interests, and will hold a further meeting in the autumn when the current exercise to collect sponsorship information from the sports concerned should be completed.