UK: Scottish Lib Dems Urged to Champion Plain Packaging

Source from:  Holyrood  05/08/2013

A motion urging the Scottish Liberal Democrats to promote the introduction of UK-wide legislation on plain packaging at the earliest opportunity will be debated at the party's conference in Dundee this week.
 
Delegates will be told that tobacco packaging represents "the last bastion" of advertising of tobacco products and hear that legislation will place the UK at the "forefront" of international tobacco control once again.
 
The debate on plain packaging, which has already been introduced in Australia, has been given prominent billing directly ahead of Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg MP's conference address.
 
The UK Coalition Government's consultation on standardised packaging for tobacco products closed in August last year and Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, Jim Hume MSP, recently wrote to both the UK and Scottish Health Secretaries to urge a swift UK-wide move towards the standardisation of tobacco packaging. A Scottish Liberal Democrat party spokesperson said that this is an issue that the party "feels very strongly about" and "will continue to push for."
 
Ben McKendrick, senior policy and public affairs manager, BHF Scotland, urged the Scottish Liberal Democrats to champion this issue.
 
"We welcome the fact that this is being debated at the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference and hope that the party as a whole will back the motion and do what they can to encourage the Westminster Government to act, in consultation with the devolved administrations, as necessary."
 
McKendrick also welcomed media reports that the UK Government does intend to announce legislation on plain packaging, and also smoking in cars containing children, during the Queen's Speech in May.
 
"We hope that Prime Minister David Cameron and the UK Government take this opportunity to introduce this legislation without delay and take another important step forward in tobacco control in the UK, but also on the global stage."
 
In a recent interview with Holyrood, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and convener of the Scottish Parliamentary Cross- Party Group on Tobacco Control, Willie Rennie MSP, said that he supports the move towards plain packaging and has been speaking to Liberal Democrat health minister, Norman Lamb MP about this.
 
"I explained the logic of the argument and he wasn't unsympathetic. He obviously has to convince the other members of the Coalition as well. But I think because smoke-free public places were so successful — quite radical at the time — but so successful, I think we will be able to convince them as well that there are merits in doing so." Enditem