Health Bill [HL]

The noble Earl is correct that I have considerable marketing experience. He, along with all other noble Lords, will know that there is a damn great sign alongside the gantry stating that it is illegal to sell tobacco to people aged under 18. The first words to hit anyone looking at a cigarette packet on the gantry are "Smoking kills", and there is nothing wrong with that. It is the primary communication made by the gantry, and if it is the right communication, I think that we can be well satisfied with aspects of the 2002 legislation. However, I do not believe that young people are influenced by it. They might find the new pictures a bit more fascinating than the old ones, because the graphics are extremely interesting, but the fact is that half of them will not understand what they are about. I would even question whether Members of the Committee would be able to diagnose what they were about if we had not put the explanations underneath. The primary message, usually to be found just behind the cash till, is that it is illegal to sell cigarettes to under 18 year-olds, while the two words "Smoking kills" are what is communicated to anyone who looks at the gantry.