XN000022-1991-10-23 — Page 4

M

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1991

WHILST HEALTH WARNING WOULD BE REQUIRED OF TOBACCO SPONSORSHIP, MRS WONG NOTED THAT CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP WOULD BE EXEMPTED FROM CARRYING A HEALTH WARNING PROVIDED THAT THE WORDS. "SMOKING" OR "CIGARETTE" OR "TOBACCO" DO NOT APPEAR.

TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THE RISK OF SMOKING AND TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ABOUT ITS HARMFUL EFFECTS, SHE SAID: "1 INTEND TO MAKE AN ORDER UNDER SECTIONS 8 AND 9 OF THE ORDINANCE SUCH THAT THE EXISTING HEALTH WARNING BE REPLACED BY FOUR STRONGER MESSAGES TO BE USED IN ROTATION.

THESE INCLUDE "SMOKING CAN KILL", "SMOKING CAN CAUSE CANCER" "SMOKING CAN

++ CAUSE HEART DISEASE" AND SMOKING HARMS YOURSELF AND OTHERS

THE ORDER WOULD ALSO REQUIRE THE HEALTH WARNING MESSAGE то APPEAR ON THE TWO LARGEST FACES OF CIGARETTE PACKETS AND THE WARNING PANEL SHOULD OCCUPY NOT LESS THAN 20 PER CENT OF THE SURFACE.

THE HEALTH WARNING PANEL ON CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS SHOULD BE ENLARGED TO TWICE THE PRESENT SIZE.

FOR OUTDOOR CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS, MESSAGE MUST BE PROPERLY LIT AND UNOBSTRUCTED.

THE HEALTH WARNING

TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE DETERRENT, MRS WONG SAID THE MAXIMUM FINE FOR INDIVIDUAL OFFENDERS WAS PROPOSED TO INCREASE BY 100 PER CENT AND THOSE FOR CORPORATE OFFENDERS BY 200 PER CENT.

SHE POINTED OUT THAT THE EXISTING LEVELS OF FINE HAD BEEN SET IN THE EARLY 1980'S AND HAD NOT BEEN REVISED SINCE THEN,

REGARDING THE TIMING OF IMPLEMENTATION, MRS WONG SAID: "1 PROPOSED ΤΟ ALLOW A REASONABLE LEAD TIME IN ORDER THAT AFFECTED PARTIES MAY CARRY OUT PREPARATORY WORK TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW MEASURES."

AS DIFFERENT GRACE PERIODS WOULD BE NEEDED FOR DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS, DIFFERENT PROVISIONS SHOULD COME INTO DIFFERENT DATES, SHE ADDED.

OPERATION ON

"WHERE PREPARATORY WORK IS REQUIRED, WE WILL ALLOW A LEAD OF SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR, SHE SAID.

TIME

DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS ADJOURNED.

0

+

/4