Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill
10:30 am
Mr Ian Bruce (South Dorset, Conservative)
It might be convenient at this point to make a declaration of interest. I have checked with my financial advisers, who tell me that my wife and I are the beneficial owners of 500 Imperial Tobacco shares. I have never bought tobacco shares, but because of de-mergers, mergers and such like, they are part of my portfolio. I am a non-smoker, and I also advise the Communications Management Association which is for users of telecommunications and the internet. The Whips thought that my experience in that regard would be helpful to this Committee. However, the CMA has not briefed me in any way and I speak from a personal point of view.
I was surprised how cosy the arrangement for the timing of this Bill appears to be. I found out on Thursday, when I got back from Kosovo, that I was to serve on the Committee. I immediately went through my diary and crossed every Tuesday and Thursday off for the next two months, as this is an important Bill and I thought that it would take some time to consider, not least because of the normal processes after Second Reading—programme motions are new to us all. I thought that we would have to discuss a sittings motion today, after which we would adjourn until Thursday, by which time we would all have had a chance to table amendments.
I have not had a chance to table amendments that might have solved some problems for the Government. For example, clause 2, which deals with the internet, is flawed. It does not do what the Government intend it to.
I am also surprised that the Bill is being supervised by the Department of Health. A number of people working within the European Informatics Market Group, EURIM, of which I am the chairman, are studying the modernisation of government. They pointed out, in a meeting chaired by a Labour Member, that the Government, despite their ``joined-upness'', are still working in silos. People get hold of a Bill, decide that it is a health measure and that they are trying to save lives. All Committee members accept that smoking is damaging to health. Anything that any Government can do to reduce smoking is a good thing from the health point of view. However, the Bill deals not with the health issues, but with advertising and promotion. The Ministers who deal with advertising and promotion are in the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The Minister, whom I know to be able, has been in the Department of Health all her ministerial career. She specialises in many different areas, about which we could have great exchanges and benefit from her knowledge. She is not an expert in advertising, DTI matters, and all the agreements that we have with our European counterparts on what we are allowed to do.