§ Mr. MaudeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the proposed ban on tobacco sponsorship will be introduced. [43745]
§ Ms JowellOn 13 May the European Parliament voted through unamended the common position on the tobacco advertising Directive agreed by European Union Health Ministers last December. We hope that it can now be adopted during the United Kingdom Presidency. Following this, member states would have three years to implement the basic provisions of the Directive; a further 2 years are available beyond that for sponsored events; sponsored events organised on a global basis could be exempted for up to three further years, subject to diminishing advertising visibility and sponsorship expenditure. All forms of tobacco advertising and sponsorship covered by the Directive must cease by 1 October 2006. The timescale for implementation of the Directive in UK law will be set out in the tobacco control White Paper to be published later this year.
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