2/95: 94 Days Until MPs Debate The Tobacco Display Ban

Do They All Support Open Tobacco Displays?

This is a photograph of the Conservative Health Team seated right is Mike Penning and he has been making encouraging comments through out the passage of the Health Bill on the Tobacco Display Ban clause. We need their on going support during the next three months.

With the announcement yesterday that the Report Stage and the Third Reading will take place in the Commons on 12th October their is a window of opportunity for tobacco retailers to do something different. That is to put in place a programme that will bring an end to underage selling through responsible retail outlets.

There is an excellent model to emulate operated by the Canadian Convenience Store Association, We Expect ID.

Time is incredibly short to launch such a programme, but it should be done because it will show the retail tobacco trade in a positive resposible light. In a way that shows we are capable of taking ownership of the issue of underage selling.

So what is the time frame?

The aim to announce a UK/English We Expect ID must be by the Party Conference season. The Conservative Conference is 5th to 8th October in Manchester, Labour hold theirs in Brighton between 27th September and 1st October. The Liberal Democrates are off to Bournemouth between the 19th and 23rd of September.

The challenge is to do something positive, today.

And that includes the cigarette companies, wholesalers and cash & carries, Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons, Asda, the ACS, Tobacco Retailers Alliance, the NFRN, the trade press and other retailers.

Telling MPs that their idea is not going to work and it will put community based newsagents and convenience stores out of business has not really gained any traction. The postive action that we must take is to STOP UNDERAGE SALES.

STOP SELLING CIGARETTES TO CHILDREN.