Smoking: Cigarette Packaging — Question

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:00 pm on 16 July 2013.

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Photo of Lord Naseby Lord Naseby Conservative 3:00, 16 July 2013

I congratulate my noble friend on not rushing in to another unproven restriction on the consumption of alcohol, particularly one which has legal dimensions that affect intellectual property rights. Can he confirm that consumption of cigarettes is already falling, and that we are already spending something like over £50 million on tobacco control? Is not the greatest problem at the moment illegal smuggling of cigarettes into this country, which costs the Revenue a huge amount of money—close on £200 million—and is consumed principally by young people?

intellectual property

patents (for inventions), trade marks, protected designs, and copyrights; see http://www.patent.gov.uk