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ASH Daily News

13 November 2003

HEADLINES

+ UK curbs on tobacco and alcohol under threat
+ Department of Health: Statistical Bulletin: Statistics on smoking: England, 2003
+ Correction

FULL TEXT

+ UK curbs on tobacco and alcohol under threat

The European Commission yesterday took the first step towards legal proceedings against the UK and Spain over what it regards as excessive obstacles to the transport of tobacco and alcohol within the European Union.

The Brussels body, which is tasked with safeguarding the free movement of goods in the EU, has asked for information on the UK's controls over the entry of tobacco and alcohol and Spain's policy on goods leaving the country.

"The penalties in these cases - which include not only payment of the excise duties and fines but the seizure of the goods and in some cases of the person's car - may be disproportionate," said a spokesman for Frits Bolkestein, the EU's single market commissioner.

EU guidelines hold that people have the right to carry up to 800 cigarettes and 110 litres of beer without being deemed to be transporting goods for commercial purposes. Both countries now have two months to reply to the Commission's "letters of formal notice", after which the Brussels body can move closer towards a case before the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court.

But a UK spokesman strongly denied that the British government's position was disproportionate.

"It's quite clear that people are breaking the law," he said. "You can't go to Calais and pick up a load of fags to sell to your mates and not break the law." He added that first- and second-time offenders did not have their cars confiscated and that only about 15 people had been fined for such breaches over six months.

Full FT article:
http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=031113000904
Full Guardian article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,3605,1083770,00.html
Source: Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, 13 November 2003


+ Department of Health: Statistical Bulletin: Statistics on smoking: England, 2003

The Department of Health yesterday released its latest Statistical Bulletin on Smoking in England.

The bulletin is a compendium, presenting the most up-to-date information at time of publication (12 November 2003) on various aspects of smoking, drawn together from a variety of sources.

The main findings of the bulletin:
+ In 2001, 27% of adults aged 16 and over smoked cigarettes in England; 28% of men and 25% of women.
+ The prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults has dropped substantially since 1980 (from 39%), although it levelled off in the 1990s.
+ In 2001, the prevalence of cigarette smoking continued to be higher for people in manual than non-manual socio-economic groups (32% compared with 21%).
+ In 2001, 66% of smokers in England wanted to give up smoking.
+ In 2002, 10% of children aged 11-15 smoked cigarettes regularly; 9% of boys and 11% of girls.
+ More than 120,000 deaths were caused by smoking in the UK in 1995; that is, one in five of all deaths.

Full DoH Statistical Bulletin is available from:
http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0321.htm



+ Correction

Yesterday's ASH Daily News (ADN) reporting of the article in the Irish Times on exemption in the Irish smoking ban carried an omission that has lead to some confusion.

The Irish Times article covered news of Health Minister Micheál Martin granting several exemptions to the smoking ban in an effort to 'fireproof' the regulations against any future legal challenge.

ADN incorrectly reported: "[Micaeál Martin's] concessions mean that smoking will be banned in hotel rooms, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes and hospices."

This, of course, should have read: ""[Micaeál Martin's] concessions mean that ban on smoking will NOT be banned in hotel rooms, prisons, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes and hospices."


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