TNAG-1854-FCO40-2629-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 162

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 11 January 1989

香港立法局 一九八九年一月十一日

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SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT: Sir, I believe this is answered in my main

reply. I will refer this suggestion to the team for analysis before we can decide whether to include it or not in the options.

Prohibition of sale of cigarettes and alcoholic drinks

to persons aged under 18

5. 蘇周艷屏議員問:政府可否告知本局會否提出法例,禁止獲准售賣煙酒的零售店舖,例如 超級市場及辦館士多等,售賣香煙及含有酒精的飲品給18歲以下的人士?

SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELARE: Sir, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health - a statutory body one of whose functions is to advise the Government on matters related to smoking and health has recommended to the Government that legislation should be introduced to prohibit the sale of A decision on this tobacco products to persons under the age of 18. recommendation will be made following a public consultation exercise which will be carried out in the next two to three months.

As regards alcoholic drinks, there are no plans at present to prohibit the sale of such drinks to persons below the age of 18 by retail outlets. Our impression, obtained from the Social Welfare Department's work with families through its family services centres, is that there is no evidence to indicate that alcoholism is a problem among persons below the age of 18. This impression is shared by the police.

In addition to this, the Social Welfare Department's statistics show that in the five-year period between 1983-84 and 1987-88, out of a total of 41 900 cases referred by the courts for social enquiry reports, only 61 persons, or 0.145%, were charged with the offence of "drunkenness and disorderly conduct". Out of a total of 13 172 cases put on probation during the same period, only 20 cases, or 0.15%, involved this offence. The department's statistics do not provide a breakdown below the age of 18. They do show, however, that of the 61 and 20 persons that I have just mentioned, only 10 and 4 respectively were below the age of 16.

MR. DAVID CHEUNG: Sir, I do not know how reliable the statistics are as given by the Secretary, but in view of the fact that prevention is always better than cure, would the Secretary inform this Council whether it is Government's intention to wait until Government thinks that the alcoholic problem among the young becomes serious before considering legislation?