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Following is a question by Dr the Hon Lo Wing-lok and a reply the Secretary for Health & Welfare, Dr E K Yeoh, in the Legislative Council today (November 28):

Question:

It is learnt that the newly-formed Committee on Youth Smoking has accepted sponsorship in the amount of 18 million dollars from tobacco companies and plans to produce teaching kits on anti-smoking for schools and youth services organisations and to organise anti-smoking activities with them. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a) Government and aided schools and public-funded youth services organisations should, in line with the Government policy on tobacco control, refrain from organising activities in collaboration with tobacco companies or organisations sponsored by them; if so, how it deals with non-compliance with this policy;

(b) the Education Department and the Social Welfare Department have issued guidelines or rules to schools and organisations within their purview to instruct them to avoid organising activities in collaboration with tobacco companies or organisations sponsored by them, or even prohibit their taking part in such activities; if so, of the details of these guidelines or rules; if not, whether it will consider drawing up such guidelines or rules; and

(c) it has issued guidelines to public-funded tertiary institutions instructing them not to receive tobacco companies' sponsorships or collaborate with organisations sponsored by them in conducting researches in sciences, teaching and open activities; if it has, of the details of the guidelines; if not, whether it will consider formulating such guidelines?

Reply:

Over the years, it has been the Government's declared tobacco control policy to seek, through a step-by-step approach, to discourage smoking, contain the proliferation of tobacco use, and protect the public from passive smoking to the maximum extent possible. To this end, a multi-pronged approach, comprising legislation, taxation, publicity, education and law enforcement, has been adopted to achieve the policy objectives.

In order to minimize the effect of tobacco advertisement on youth, under the existing Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371), there are provisions governing strictly the tobacco advertisement and promotion. At present, it prohibits the display of tobacco advertisement in most public places. Apart from that, the Ordinance imposes restrictions on the wordings and advertisement appearing in events sponsored by tobacco companies, so as to avoid rising the event as a tool for their tobacco advertisement.

Overseas experiences show that education and publicity are the most effective means of tackling the youth smoking problem. In view of this and under our multi-pronged approach, different government departments and the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health have undertaken extensive and sustainable promotional and educational programs targeting at the youths.

At present, the Education Department, the University Grants Committee and the Social Welfare Department have not issued guidelines or rules to schools, tertiary institutions and organisations under their purview on their collaboration with tobacco companies or organisations sponsored by them. Nonetheless, to be in line with the Government's tobacco control policy and to avoid conflict with the nature and the objectives of the programmes, we do not encourage school, youth services and social welfare organisations to collaborate with tobacco companies or organisations sponsored by them in organising various, including anti-smoking, activities. The Education Department, the University Grants Committee and the Social Welfare Department will be conveying this message to schools, tertiary institutions and organisations under their purview. We will also advise the relevant organisations of the drawbacks and potential risks of accepting funding from and co-organising activities with tobacco companies. Before accepting any sponsorship or co-organising any event, organisations concerned should give regard to the source of funding and the background of the co-organiser, and assess whether the act will conflict with the organisation's nature and objectives, which might in turn adversely affect the overall effectiveness of the programs.

End/Wednesday, November 28, 2001

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