Comment from UK Health Forum Issued: 10 June 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE

Comment from UK Health Forum
Issued: 10 June 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK Health Forum welcomes recommendations made in new smoking report
Smoking Still Kills was published today by ASH, Cancer Research UK and the British Health
Foundation. The report makes seven recommendations to strengthen and continue tobacco control
and stop smoking programmes in England.
Commenting on the report and recommendations, Paul Lincoln, UK Health Forum CEO said:
“The UK Health Forum is pleased to endorse these recommendations and welcomes the
announcement by the Department of Health that the Government will move forward with developing
and implementing a new tobacco control plan for England. Clear leadership and a sustained and
targeted commitment of resources from Government will drive further reductions in tobacco use.
We know that the tobacco industry continues to flourish on profits from smokers. We strongly
support the recommendation to introduce a new annual levy on tobacco companies – the Tobacco
Companies Obligation – to help fund tobacco control research and Stop Smoking services in England.
This measure would raise much-needed revenue and we warmly welcomed the consultation and
support for this policy from the Coalition government.”
Contact: Paul Lincoln or Jane Landon (T) 020 7832 6920
Notes to editors:
1. The UK Health Forum is a charitable alliance of professional and public interest organisations working
to reduce the risk of avoidable chronic diseases by developing evidence-based public health policy and
supporting its implementation through advocacy and information provision.
http://www.ukhealthforum.org.uk/
2. UKHF endorses the recommendations made in Smoking Still Kills:
http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_962.pdf