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ASH Daily News

20 December 2005

[View html version: http://www.globalink.org/nbuk]

HEADLINES

MPs lambaste Government for 'failure of leadership'

Smoking shambles

MPs believe Government is out of step with public opinion

Editorial comment: Voice of the Daily Mirror

Tobacco companies may face fines on smuggling

Dark chocolate may cut heart disease

FULL TEXT

Editor's note: Health Select Committee releases its report

The Health Select Committee released its reported titled 'Smoking and Public Places' yesterday. The Committee said that a partial ban on smoking is "unfair, unjust, inefficient and unworkable." It has been very widely reported in the media, ASH Daily News has included a selection of these.

To access the 'Smoking and Public Places' report visit this link http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmhealth.htm#reports


MPs lambaste Government for 'failure of leadership'


Ministers were challenged to stop putting their egos before the health of the nation yesterday as senior MPs increased the pressure on Tony Blair to put forward a full public smoking ban.

Their anger at the loss of a "golden opportunity" to improve public health was directed largely at John Reid, the former Health Secretary, who battled in Cabinet against a ban in all pubs and clubs.
Kevin Barron, Chair of the Health Select Committee, accused the Government of sticking to a partial ban to "protect political egos, not protect public health".

Asked whether he thought that Mr Reid fought against a full ban because it would lose Labour support in its working-class heartlands, Mr Barron said that he had not had one letter of protest from his working-class Rother Valley constituents. A partial ban would operate in England, while Mr Reid's constituents in Airdrie & Shotts would be banned from smoking in all pubs by the Scottish Parliament, Mr Barron said.

"The current proposals fly in the face of medical opinion and will do nothing to protect those most at risk," he said. "As they stand, they will simply exacerbate existing health inequalities, and will confuse the public as to where they can or cannot smoke. The Government needs to be strong enough to take the tough decision to introduce a comprehensive ban which includes all pubs and clubs."

A total of 95 MPs, including 64 Labour backbenchers, have signed a motion calling for a free vote on the issue, and another 89, including 53 from Labour, joined a motion demanding a full ban.

The committee said that implicit in evidence from Caroline Flint, a health minister, was the suggestion 'that once opinion polls indicate a small additional shift in public support for a total ban, the Government will have no objection to one.'

"In fact, this has already occurred. A majority of the population now support a ban." Kevin Barron said. MPs added that evidence from Ireland showed that a complete ban became even more popular once it was in force.

Vivienne Nathanson, of the British Medical Association, said: "If the Government has been unmoved by doctors' concern for the public's health, perhaps it will at least listen to Parliament's Health Select Committee. A partial ban on smoking in public places will bring nothing short of unworkable chaos, and the most disadvantaged in society will continue to be most at risk."

Times 20/12/05 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,17129-1943907,00.html



Smoking shambles


The cross party Health Select Committee agreed unanimously that the simple and most effective solution, which would command broad public support and the backing of the drinks industry, would be for a complete ban smoking in all public areas.

They warned that current proposals would lead to lawsuits from people forced to continue working in smoke-filled rooms.

Daily Mail 20/12/05



MPs believe Government is out of step with public opinion


Many MPs believe the Government is out of stop with public opinion on the issue of smoking in public places.

Far from being critics for being a nanny state, they claim the Government would win praise from smokers and nonsmokers if a total ban was introduced.

Evening Standard 19/12/05


Details of the Health Select Committee report were also published in

Daily Mirror 20/12/05 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid503546%26methodò6siteid”762-name_page.html

The Independent 20/12/05 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article334160.ece

The Sun 20/12/05 http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005580716,,00.html

Daily Telegraph 20/12/05 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml


Editorial comment: Voice of the Daily Mirror


"England is in danger of looking stupid compared to the rest of the United Kingdom.

As Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland move towards a blanket ban on smoking in enclosed public places, only partial restrictions are proposed in England.

The lunacy of the government's position is displayed in yesterday's withering report by the MPs on the Commons all-party health committee.

Only a total ban will protect people and if it's good enough for the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish it should be good enough for the English, too."

Daily Mirror 20/12/05 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/voiceofthemirror/



Tobacco companies may face fines on smuggling


Under legislation expected in next year's Budget, manufacturers will effectively be held responsible for ensuring that their products do not end up in the hands of criminal gangs, which then smuggle them back into Britain.

The crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade was heralded in Gordon Brown's Pre-Budget Report this month. The Chancellor said legislation would be introduced in the Budget "aimed at preventing organised criminal gangs from exploiting weaknesses in supply chains for tobacco products".

It added: 'Legislation will allow for the imposition of a financial penalty where we have grounds to believe a manufacturer has failed to control its supply chains.'

If the UK scheme is modelled on a similar one in use on the Continent, fines of about £5 million would be levied on every container of ten million smuggled cigarettes intercepted by Customs. At current levels of smuggling, that could land the industry with a total annual bill of more than £350 million.

Some of the major tobacco companies have been affected by smuggling and several legal cases have proved that tobacco companies around the world have been turning a blind eye to criminal activities.

ASH said: "We have been calling for many years for the Government to fine tobacco companies for allowing their cigarettes to be smuggled. Finally, it has listened to us."

Mail on Sunday 18/12/05 http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id@5800&in_page_id

Dark chocolate may cut heart disease


New research has shown that eating a few squares of dark chocolate a day could prevent arteries hardening. It may also help smokers, as smoking compromises the activity of cells which line the artery walls and platelets in the blood restricting blood flow.

However, Dr Charmaine Griffiths of the British Heart Foundation warned that whatever smokers eat the biggest step smokers could make to reduce their risk of heart disease is to give up smoking"

BBC News 20/12/05 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4535974.stm
Also reported in Daily Mail 20/12/05, Guardian 20/12/05


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Sarah Ward
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