Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish details of all communications between his Department and the tobacco industry on the Tobacco Control Plan; and what steps he has taken to encourage tobacco companies to engage with the Government in written, as well as oral, form.
The United Kingdom is a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Article 5.3 of the FCTC states that “in setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law.” The Department has therefore not invited the tobacco industry to contribute to the development of the Tobacco Control Plan. The Government will continue to uphold its obligations under the World Health Organization FCTC.