Health Bill [HL]

The noble Lord may have a point there, and I will certainly check it. However, I think that it is very unlikely that young people are not buying their cigarettes from shops. As I say, I will check that, but our information shows that the vast majority of children get their tobacco products from shops. The noble Lord, Lord Naseby, referred to the consultation process. We received more than 100,000 responses to the consultation: 10,586 responses from small retailers, including the pre-prepared postcards or e-mails made available to respondents from third parties; 11 responses from large retailers; 21 responses from retail industry representative organisations, including trade organisations; and seven responses from organisations that receive funding directly from the department for programmes of work relating to smoking. We received 85,000 responses from members of the public, which also included pre-prepared postcards or e-mails made available by third parties. The noble Lord said that the consultation was unsatisfactory in terms of Asian shopkeepers and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. I have dealt with the correspondence on this issue and have invited representatives of the relevant association to a meeting tomorrow. However, the organisation which was helping them to submit letters to the Equality and Human Rights Commission was funded by the tobacco industry. In view of the Government’s policy on this matter, I cannot meet with an organisation which is funded directly by the tobacco industry. However, as I want to take their concerns on board, I have invited them to join my larger meeting tomorrow, if they wish to do so.