Health Bill [Lords]

I agree with the hon. Gentleman's first point. The first option—allowing smoking in public houses that did not serve food, but not in those that did—was not a public health measure. From a public health point of view, it was not the brightest proposed legislation. The amendment from the Health Committee probably changed minds about the free vote. None the less, the evidence was there. The hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) suggests that there is no evidence to support the proposed ban on displaying tobacco products, but I shall make the case that there is evidence about the effect of such point-of-sale displays. Hon. Members can look through the many representations that we have received on the subject and they will see that the great majority that suggest that there is no evidence that the provisions will be effective come from those who make their living by manufacturing or selling tobacco products. [Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman can read this tomorrow if that is better, but I want to answer his question. The manufacturers or those who sell tobacco products question the evidence in support of the provisions. By contrast, those who insist that the evidence is good are, for the most part, health professionals, health charities and researchers. The hon. Gentleman will have seen the letter that we received from Action on Smoking and Health—an organisation with which I have been involved for a long time. Nearly two pages contain the names of organisations that support the Bill, including eight royal colleges, cancer charities and other major charities. However, some people do not support the proposals, and I want to consider people's motives either for supporting part 4 or for not supporting it. Many hon. Members will have received standard letters from shopkeepers, who are genuinely concerned about the measure. Those letters simply say that there is no evidence that the provisions will be effective. It hardly seems likely that that opinion is based on first-hand reading of the published research. Indeed, we know that the message has been given to shopkeepers by an organisation that calls itself the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, which is funded by the big tobacco manufacturers through the Tobacco Manufacturers Association. I have battled against the Tobacco Manufacturers Association and tried to influence the House on tobacco legislation since the early 1990s, when I promoted a private Member's Bill. The Tobacco Manufacturers Association paid Members of Parliament to stay overnight on a Thursday to talk the Bill out on a Friday. Indeed, it was talked out. Its purpose was to ban tobacco advertising and promotion. It was eventually introduced in law by the Government, who should be congratulated on that. The Tobacco Manufacturers Association has tried, through many different organisations, to buy influence in the Chamber for decades. The recent letter that we received from the Tobacco Retailers Alliance has many aspects worthy of note. At the end, it states that""the Tobacco Retailers Alliance is funded by the TMA."" So let us not forget who says that the provisions will not work. We were sent four pages of questions in red, with accompanying answers. I shall read out only the first two. The first question and answer is:""Why are shopkeepers so worried about hiding tobacco out of sight?""Because it may put them out of business. A tobacco display ban would be a huge financial and operational burden on small shops."" The second question and answer is:""Would shops be forced to close because of this?""Yes—we think so."" Throughout the House's history as a legislator on tobacco, going back to the late 1950s, when the late Sir Richard Doll found the connection between smoking and ill health, the tobacco companies have funded dubious research to oppose anybody who claimed that there was a direct connection between tobacco and ill health. They have got somebody to come along to say that small shops may be put out of business or that smoking "may" harm health. For decades, they have tried to undermine concrete evidence of the link between tobacco and ill health. We must never forget that the Tobacco Manufacturers Association has influenced individual Members in this country for decades. Its aim is to protect at all costs a substance that leads to 50 per cent. of the people who use it dying a premature death. We should go further in our actions against the promotion of tobacco.