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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1992
"I WILL, OF COURSE, CONSULT THE RELEVANT PARTIES
SHE SAID.
CONCERNED,
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SHE ADDED THAT THE AD HOO GROUP'S PURPOSE то APPLY HEALTH WARNINGS TO PIPE TOBACCO AND CIGARS WAS ANOTHER AREA ON WHICH FURTHER CONSULTATION WOULD BE NECESSARY.
"GIVEN THE SMALL MARKET FOR THESE PRODUCTS IN HONG KONG, AND HAVING REGARD TO SHELF LIFE AND STOCK OF THE PRODUCTS IN HAND, THE REQUIREMENT FOR HEALTH WARNINGS MAY MAKE SOME BRANDS COMMERCIALLY UNVIABLE AND LEAD ΤΟ THEIR BEING WITHDRAWN FROM THE MARKET ALTOGETHER," MRS WONG SAID.
"THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS ON CONSUMERS WILL OBVIOUSLY NEED CAREFUL EXAMINATION. THE INDUSTRY WILL ALSO NEED ΤΟ BE CONSULTED ABOUT THE LEAD TIME REQUIRED FOR ANY SUCH PROPOSAL TO BE IMPLEMENTED.
"ACCORDINGLY, I WILL TAKE STEPS ΤΟ INITIATE THE NECESSARY CONSULTATIONS," SHE SAID.
COMMENTING ON THE AD HOC GROUP'S PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FERRY WORKERS TO SMOKE IN AREAS OF FERRIES TO WHICH THE PUBLIC HAS NO ACCESS, MRS WONG SAID IT SEEMED ODD THAT THESE WORKERS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SMOKE WHEN THE BILL SOUGHT A TOTAL BAN ON SMOKING IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT CARRIERS.
HOWEVER, SHE ACCEPTED THE ARGUMENT THAT FERRY WORKERS HAD A WORKING ENVIRONMENT UNIQUE AMONG TRANSPORT OPERATORS.
"THEY WORK LONG SHIFTS AND ARE UNABLE TO TAKE A BREAK AT THE END OF EACH JOURNEY LIKE OTHER TRANSPORT WORKERS. THEY MAY LIVE, EAT AND SLEEP ON BOARD THEIR VESSEL, IN AN AREA PHYSICALLY SEPARATED FROM THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENTS," SHE SAID.
PERMITTING FERRY WORKERS TO SMOKE IN AREAS WHERE THE PUBLIC HAD NO ACCESS COULD BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT CAUSING DISTURBANCE TO PASSENGERS AND WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF OUR ANTI-SMOKING POLICY, SHE SAID.
MRS WONG, THOUGH AGREED WITH THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT, STRESSED THAT WHILE THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT MIGHT ALLOW FERRY WORKERS TO SMOKE. IT SHOULD NOT BE REGARDED AS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO DO SO.
"FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR OWN HEALTH AND FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE COLLEAGUES WHO DO NOT SMOKE, HERE I WOULD STILL URGE THEM NOT TO SMOKE, " SHE SAID.
TURNING TO THE QUESTION OF THE SIZE OF THE HEALTH WARNING MESSAGE TO BE PRINTED WITHIN THE WARNING PANEL ON CIGARETTE PACKAGES AND IN ADVERTISING, MRS WONG EXPLAINED THAT THE PROPOSAL FOR 40 PER CENT COVERAGE WAS BASED ON THE OUTCOME OF CONSULTATIONS IN 1989/90.
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"HOWEVER, MEMBERS PROPOSED REQUIREMENT FOR 75 PER CENT COVERAGE INSTEAD WILL MEAN A MORE VISIBLE MESSAGE.
IP
"THIS IS IN LINE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S OBJECTIVE AWARENESS OF THE DANGERS OF SMOKING. I WILL BEAR THIS MAKING THE RELEVANT ORDER, SHE SAID.
OF
ENHANCING
IN
MIND
WHEN
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