UK: Government sets up new agenda

The UK Government appears to have moved away from the immediate, full-scale ban on sponsorship that was originally proposed by Frank Dobson, the Health Minister. Instead of an immediate ban there are likely to be a series of transitional measures to phase out tobacco sponsorship over a number of years. This phasing-out would be in line with the current sponsorship contracts, most of which are to expire in 2001-2002. A parallel initiative to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship in the form of the European draft Directive would introduce an immediate ban on event sponsorship by tobacco companies from the date of the introduction of the Directive into UK law, by 1999. The Government will eventually support this Directive but may in the meantime press for changes to it in the light of Formula One’s threat to schedule its Grand Prix outside western Europe.

The 14 July London seminar on the strategy for curbing tobacco consumption (the “anti-smoking summit” also sub-titled “Dying for a Fag”) set out an agenda that will see a White Paper outlining legislation by the end of this year. A Bill will be introduced in the next Parliamentary session. January or June 1998 sees the UK presidency of the EU, coinciding with the probable adoption of the Tobacco Advertising Directive. That Directive is likely to be implemented within 18 months after that; and during 1999 an attempt to co-ordinate the UK and European legislation for a total ban of tobacco advertising and a phase-out of tobacco sponsorship will be made.