Smoking costs NHS £1.7bn, says Jowell
By Ian Murray Medical Correspondent

SMOKING costs the health service up to £1.7 billion a year, Tessa Jowell
said yesterday. The Public Health Minister, who this month announced the
decision to allow continuing tobacco sponsorship of Formula One racing, said
the figures underlined the case for early European Union legislation to end
advertising by the industry.

"Costs of between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion a year are an appalling
drain on the NHS, and an enormous human cost to smokers and their families,"
she said. The new calculation of smoking costs, by the Centre for Health
Economics at the University of York, contrasts with earlier government
estimates of £610 million a year.

Smokers in Britain spend £12 billion a year buying tobacco products, and the
Government receives £10.25 billion of this in duty, up from £9.82 billion
last year. A further £560 million is collected in corporation tax, business
rates, income tax on wages of the 148,000 staff and VAT. The tobacco
industry also has a £593 million positive balance of trade, making it one of
the top export earners.

The Department of Health said: "The allocation of resources is a Treasury
matter. We are not responsible for collecting the money. We just spend it.
If it were not for smoking, we would have more to spend on treating other
conditions."

The new study estimates that an average health authority will expect to
spend about £14 million a year treating smokers, including £2.5 million on
GP visits and £1.5 million on prescriptions. "These figures show why we need
tough action at both a domestic and European level to bring down rates of
smoking, especially among the young," she said.

"A government White Paper, produced next year, will spell out a
comprehensive range of measures. At the European level, an EU Directive is
being negotiated which will end tobacco advertising."

She said giveupsmoking competitions, counselling and nicotine replacement
therapy would form part of the Government's strategy in the White Paper. She
claimed that smoking and passive smoking could lead to heart and lung
problems not just for adults but for children and babies, who had a 72 per
cent increased risk of respiratory disease if their mother smoked. "We know
that almost seven out of 10 smokers want to give up and the White Paper will
deal with ways we can help them kick the habit."