Clause 8 - Displays
Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill [Lords]
12:30 pm
Mr Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham, Conservative)
Yet again, the Minister has resorted to saying that the Government do not intend to use the reserved powers, but they will put them in the Bill just in case. She failed to convince Opposition Members why the powers are required, why the word ''place'' has been singled out and why we should have a dual system. That heaps confusion on confusion. As we consider each clause, the Government's intention becomes less clear, as does how the powers will be used, if at all, and how the poor, unsuspecting retailer of tobacco products will know how to respond. If the
Committee is confused about what the provisions mean, how on earth will people who make a living from tobacco sales cope?
I apologise to my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne if I appeared to downplay the importance of replacing ''may'' with ''must''. That comes after many months serving on the Standing Committee that considered the Adoption and Children Bill. We considered so many such amendments that it became commonplace to go through the motions before they were tossed aside. I am not trying to diminish the importance of the replacement of the words in the clause, but I am war weary of other Ministers' responses to such amendments.
If we examine subsection (4), which states that the regulations ''must'', rather than ''may'', we notice the stark and distinct contrast between subsections (3) and (4). I agree completely with the points made by my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne about the importance of inserting ''must'' instead of the rather weaker ''may'' in subsection (3).
I was completely nonplussed by the welcome standing comment by the hon. Member for North-West Leicestershire. He completely contradicted himself, which my hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne picked up.
It being One o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
Adjourned till this day at half-past Four o'clock.