Smoking: Cigarette Packaging

Lord Hill of Oareford Excerpts

Tuesday 16th July 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford)]

We will briefly hear from my noble friend and then go over to the other side.

[Lord Naseby]

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?