Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: G8, John Reid/Smoking, Postal Ballots and Muslim Schools.
G8
The Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) advised journalists that the Prime Minister was in Georgia today to attend the G8 Summit. This morning, he would have a bilateral with President Bush. This would be followed by a discussion by G8 leaders on the Middle East. A number of Middle Eastern leaders were in Georgia this week, including the King of Jordan, the President of Algeria, the President of Yemen and President Karzai of Afghanistan.
John Reid/Smoking
Asked if it was Government policy to "allow the working-classes to smoke themselves to death", the PMS said that John Reid had been speaking at a Big Conversation event at which he had made a number of comments. As a Civil Servant, she was unable to comment on political issues. That said, the aim of Big Conversation and other Government events was to encourage debate and discussion about a whole range of issues. For example, consultation exercises were currently taking place on public health and smoking. The whole point of such exercises was to allow people to put forward what were often very different views. Asked if Ministers were allowed to express different views, the PMS repeated that the purpose of such discussions was to have a public debate. Dr Reid’s comments had clearly provoked an even greater debate on the issue of smoking. Pressed as to whether Ministers should be allowed to put forward different views to the Prime Minister in the light of the fact that the Prime Minister had said that smoking should be banned in public places, the PMS pointed out that the Prime Minister had not, in fact, said that smoking should be banned in public places. All he had stated was that a public consultation exercise on the issue should be held, at the end of which a policy would emerge. Asked when the consultation was due to be completed, the PMS said that it was due to finish at the end of the summer.
Asked if Dr Reid had made his comments in his capacity as Health Secretary, the PMS said that he had been contributing to a debate on the issue that was going on at the moment, particularly in the light of the action that had been taken on smoking in Ireland. Pressed as to whether Dr Reid had been speaking as a Government representative, the PMS said that he had been talking at a Big Conversation event. Asked if she was indicating that Dr Reid had been expressing his own point of view, the PMS repeated that he had been contributing to the debate on smoking and public health. She pointed out that this was a complex issue which people would continue to discuss.
Asked to set out the Department’s of Health advice to the public on smoking, the PMS said that we would obviously want everyone to pursue a healthy lifestyle. However, not everybody experienced the same living conditions. People were well aware of the dangers of smoking. Indeed, every cigarette packet carried a health warning. Asked if she was implying that Dr Reid’s comments this morning had been based on Government policy, the PMS said she was simply making the point that everyone was aware of the dangers of smoking. Put to her that Government health warnings on cigarette packets was a strong indication that the Government did not want people to smoke, the PMS pointed out that the warning was not a diktat but guidance. Asked if the Government wanted people to smoke, the PMS said that the Government would like people to have healthy lifestyles. Put to her that it would seem Dr Reid did not want such a thing, the PMS repeated that Dr Reid had made his comments and had contributed to the debate. Asked if the Government would disassociate itself from Dr Reid’s remarks, the PMS said that we lived in a society where debate was encouraged. If people held different views they should be able to put them forward. Pressed as to whether the Government stood by Dr Reid’s remarks or not, the PMS said the important thing was that we were able to have a debate on public health in this country in which people were allowed to express different views. Asked if she was saying that the Government could end up endorsing Dr Reid’s view at the end of the consultation and adopt it as Government policy, the PMS said that she was suggesting nothing of the sort. She was simply making the point that a consultation exercise was taking place in which people were entitled to express different points of view. Put to her that Dr Reid was not a member of the public but a Cabinet Minister responsible for health, the PMS said that people were entitled to express their opinions. That was the whole point of a consultation exercise such as this. Asked if the Government had an actual policy on smoking, the PMS said that the Government had issued guidance on this issue, for example through health warnings on cigarette packets. Asked if Dr Reid’s comments were compatible with the Government’s existing advice on smoking, the PMS said that the Government had issued the advice. Dr Reid had made his comments. Discussion and debate on this issue would no doubt continue. Asked if Ministers would be allowed to express their personal opinions about other issues, such as the single currency for example, the PMS pointed out that the difference was that Dr Reid had made his remarks during a consultation exercise on the issue of public health and smoking. This was an ongoing discussion and debate on personal lifestyle issues to which people were being encouraged to contribute. Asked if the Prime Minister was in favour of cigarettes being sold in packs of ten, the PMS said that she had not heard the Prime Minister express a view on this particular issue.
Postal Ballots
Asked if the Prime Minister had voted by post before departing for the G8 Summit, the PMS said yes. Asked if the Government was concerned about new evidence of voting fraud in the postal ballot pilots, the PMS said that the allegations were being investigated, as you would expect. It went without saying that the Government would be concerned about any illegal activity. If the allegations proved to be true, it could result in criminal proceedings. For example, offences relating to personation carried a penalty of up to two years in prison. We would condemn any attempt to influence the results of elections by fraud or intimidation. In the pilot schemes which had been run in the past, the level of fraud had been no higher than in the more traditional way of voting. We would have to wait until after tomorrow’s elections before the latest figures could be compiled.
Muslim Schools
Asked for a reaction to today’s report urging for more Muslim state schools to be set up, the PMS said that in the Government’s view, these issues should be dealt with at a local level so that local circumstances could be taken into account before a decision was made. The Government was not actively involved in a campaign for more faith schools, but continued to support those that already existed. Asked if the Government would provide funds for Muslim schools, the PMS repeated that decisions as to whether faith schools should be opened had to be made at a local level by the School Organisation Committee for that particular area. Asked if the Government agreed with the report’s conclusion about the problems encountered by Muslim schoolchildren, the PMS said that the Government was committed to raising standards throughout the school system, regardless of pupils’ religious or social background. We wanted schools and teachers to respect the different faiths and customs of their pupils.
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