Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ3: Smoking among young people

     Following is a question by the Hon Tang Shiu-tong and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (June 16):

 

Question:

 

     Regarding smoking among young people, will the Government inform this Council:

 

(a)  of the current number of young people who smoke regularly;

 

(b)  given that during the period from February 2001 to April this year, the relevant authorities received a total of six complaints about the sale of tobacco products to minors, of the actions the authorities have taken to follow up these complaints, and whether they have assessed if the figure reflects the actual situation; and

 

(c)  of the channels through which the authorities monitor the sale of tobacco products to young people by shops and newspaper vendors?

 

Reply:

 

Madam President,

 

(a)  According to a survey conducted by the Census and Statistics Department from November 2002 to February 2003, 3.8 per cent (representing about 16,700 persons) of persons aged 15 to 19 in Hong Kong were daily cigarette smokers.

 

(b)  Since its establishment in February 2001, the Tobacco Control Office (TCO) has received and handled six complaints about sale of tobacco products to minors.  This figure is on the low side compared to other categories of complaints in respect of tobacco control.  We are not aware of evidence that this low figure does not reflect the prevalence of the problem concerned.

 

     The sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to any person aged 18 or below is prohibited under Section 15A(1) of the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (the Ordinance).  Complaints about alleged breaches of this prohibition are followed up and investigated by the TCO expeditiously.  On receipt of the six aforesaid complaints, staff from the TCO have paid unannounced visits to the tobacco retail shops concerned to observe whether tobacco products are sold to minors.  During these visits, TCO staff also monitored the shops' compliance with other statutory requirements such as the display of tobacco control signs prescribed by regulations under the Ordinance.  Notwithstanding that no offence relating to the Ordinance was detected on the spot, verbal warnings were given to the shop owners/keepers concerned.  Following the visits, the TCO has not received any further complaint about sale of tobacco products to minors in the six shops concerned.

 

(c)  According to the TCO's estimate, the number of retail outlets offering tobacco products for sale in Hong Kong is in the order of several thousands.  To optimise the use of its manpower resources, the TCO relies on a mix of proactive and responsive steps to monitor compliance with the statutory ban on sale of cigarettes to minors.  TCO staff visit tobacco retail shops around the territory to check compliance and to remind the shopkeepers concerned of their obligations under the Ordinance as well as the consequences for non-compliance.  Since February 2001, over 1,600 such visits have been made.  Separately, each complaint regarding sale of cigarettes to minors has been actively followed up and investigated by the TCO.  We will keep our enforcement approach under review to ensure that adequate resources are deployed to target at venues with known compliance problems in this regard.

 

Ends/Wednesday, June 16, 2004

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