THE Government is considering setting up a health promotion fund to assist sports and cultural events, legislators were told yesterday.
And the move could lead to tobacco sponsorship being banned.
Secretary for Health and Welfare Katherine Fok Lo Shiu-ching said the Government was studying the experience in Australia and New Zealand to see if the scheme would work.
Sponsorship could not be identified as the single cause of children smoking, said Mrs Fok, but evidence suggested it played an important role.
The Government sought to limit tobacco advertising and tried to dissuade people from the habit through legislation and education, she added. But while bodies like the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Sports Development Board rejected tobacco cash, government figures showed the industry had provided $28 million in sponsorship in 1994/95 which was about 40 per cent up the amount for 1993/94.
