ACS

ACS has responded to the report published by the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) raising concerns about penalties for tobacco retailers.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “LACORS concerns regarding the penalties for retailers who sell tobacco to someone under 18 have been very recently addressed by a change in the law. Any retailer that persistently sells tobacco to an under-18 faces a ban from selling tobacco of up to one year as well as the fine of up to £5000.

“Retailers take these penalties very seriously and many retailers faced with a large fine and tobacco ban could be put out of business.”

Mr Lowman also commented on the report’s findings on test purchasing failures:

“Test purchasing figures are a poor measure of the performance of shops in preventing underage tobacco sales. Trading Standards Officers generally conduct test purchases at shops that have been the subject of complaints or other local intelligence. So the figures in this report show that of the premises suspected of selling tobacco to those underage around one in five were proved to be breaking the law, rather than one in five of all retailers. This is an important distinction.

“The figures do not show that the vast majority of shops do not sell tobacco to those underage and work incredibly hard to be the first line of defence against young people getting hold of tobacco when underage.

“We agree with LACORS that the solution to the problem of underage smoking is a partnership between retailers, government and the community to prevent access and change attitudes. We should not forget that this is working successfully NHS figures show that the number of young people regularly smoking has dropped to 6% compared to 13% in 1996.

Contacts:

Shane Brennan Public Affairs Director
01252 515001/ 07921 372 978

Nina Collins Communications Coordinator
01252 515001

Notes to Editors:

1. ACS (Association of Convenience Stores) is the voice of local shops, representing over 33,500 convenience stores. ACS helps local shops thrive through lobbying, support and networking opportunities.
2. Tobacco Banning Orders, where either a premises or an individual can be banned from selling tobacco for up to one year if they are caught selling tobacco three times in a two year period, where created in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act.
3. Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2008: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/sdd08fullreport/SDD_England_2008_summary.pdf