Vol. 212 No. 1
asked the Minister for Health the total sum spent in each of the years 1960 to 1964 inclusive by (1) all local authorities and (2) the central authority on advertising the fact that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and bronchitis, and contributes to the development of coronary thrombosis.
179.
asked the Minister for Health the amount of money spent by local authorities and by his Department on (1) television time (2) radio time (3) newspaper advertisements (4) display posters in public places and (5) other media in order to publicise the fact that cigarettes cause lung cancer and bronchitis and can contribute to the development of coronary thrombosis.
I propose to deal with Questions Nos. 178 and 179 together.
The five media specifically referred to by the Deputy in Question No. 179 have not so far been used to bring this matter of smoking and health to public notice. I feel strongly that the most effective and productive propaganda regarding the dangers of smoking must be that addressed directly to young people who, if they have not already formed the smoking habit, are entering the environment where they will meet strong temptation to do so. To this end, over the last few years, several hundred thousand copies of my Department's leaflet "Starting to Smoke?" have been issued to children in their final year at school. This distribution will be continued. Furthermore the reverend editor of "Our Boys" and "An Gael Og" is very kindly providing some space free of charge in these publications each month for advertisements which were specially prepared by my Department.
Earlier this year my Department published a summary of surveys of the evidence to date on smoking in relation to health. Copies of this summary are being distributed to teachers, clergy, members of local authorities, doctors, dentists and others in a position to influence public thinking on this subject. If it appears to me that other advertising media could effectively be used in this propaganda campaign I will, of course, make use of them.
As regards the cost of this publicity campaign I would draw the Deputy's attention to the reply given on my behalf to a question on the same lines which he put down on 21st March, 1962 (Dáil Debates, Volume 194, Columns 173 and 174). As it has been the practice, where health propaganda material generally is concerned, to have it prepared and published by my Department, no expenditure by local authorities is incurred specifically on the preparation of such material and such expenditure as the authorities may incur in distributing it is part of their general administrative expenses.
