2009-09-23 07:39:49 - Ministers, senior civil servants and MSPs do not know the law of the land they govern, and are happy to make decisions that will put 60 Scottish citizens out of work and close 15 companies.

Exposure of blatant misleading evidence by Health and Sports Minister Shona Robison MSP will be distributed outside the Scottish Parliament prior to the Stage 1 debate on the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill.

“Documentation(1) produced by NACMO (The National Association of Cigarette Vending Machine Operators) clearly illustrates how the Scottish Government has been provided with fiction,” states Eddie Douthwaite from pro-choice group Freedom To Choose (Scotland). “The quality of their evidence and decision-making must be put into question.”

Public Health Minister Shona Robison provided the misleading statement(2) to the Health and Sports Committee evidence sessions stating, “For me, the fundamental question is whether tobacco is an appropriate product to sell in a vending machine. We would not sell other age-related

dangerous products in vending machines, so why do we sell cigarettes in that way?”

This statement was also endorsed by committee convener MSP Christine Grahame who claimed(3), “Most members also believe that cigarette vending machines should be banned, bringing them into line with other age-restricted products like alcohol.”

Despite the claims of Shona Robison, other age-restricted products are not banned from vending machines - as NACMO correctly points out, “alcohol, lighters and aspirin are all legally vended through machines across Scotland. These products can pose significant health risks yet the Government is singling out tobacco vending machines.”

In addition to forcing shops to conceal tobacco displays from public view, the Tobacco and Primary Services Medical Bill proposes to ban the use of tobacco vending machines, immediately closing 15 businesses and putting 60 people out of work. NACMO have since invested in a Radio Frequency Control System for their vending machines that would prevent young people accessing tobacco products and avoid the loss of these jobs.

MSPs must be made aware of these facts before the Stage 1 debate takes place on Thursday 24 September.

Notes to editors:
1 www.snapdrive.net/files/492358/Documents%20and%20PDFs/Other%20ve ..
2 www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/hs/reports-09/her09-08- ..
3 edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/MSPs--committee-backs-ban.5 ..