Cavendish takes hold of tobacco control debate |
Beth Phillips and Peter Cripps, The Grocer 01 November 2008 In: People, Industry news
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Dr Will Cavendish, director of health and wellbeing at the Department of Health, is set to take over the Government's tobacco policy from Monday.
Cavendish - whose remit already includes obesity and alcohol, nutrition and food labelling - will now also be in charge of tobacco and drugs, an area previously handled by Angela McNab, who is leaving the department.
He has been given the added responsibilities as the Government hammers out its Future of Tobacco Control proposals to move tobacco under the counter and enforce plain packaging.
Cavendish will now work with public health minister Dawn Primarolo on the strategy, which is expected to be given the green light before Christmas.
The proposals have riled tobacco retailers, manufacturers and small business associations, who claim banning tobacco displays will fuel the black market and the changes will be expensive to implement.
Last month, graphic warnings were slapped on cigarette packs following a Department of Health ruling as the Government stepped up its efforts to reduce smoking.
The tobacco industry should be ready for a "man on a mission", said one senior industry source.
"He's very committed to public health issues and definitely believes in legislation - and he takes health very seriously. But he's pretty reasonable."
Another source said: "He has already shaken the Department of Health out of its torpor on the obesity issue. It was going nowhere and he managed to pull it all together - he has done a good job and is quite an interventionist.
"He has well entrenched views that not all the industry agree with, but he is good at working with the industry to deliver tangible outcomes."
Cavendish, a heavyweight civil servant who wrote the Government's anti-obesity strategy and has put a £75m social marketing strategy into practice, was voted the number one influencer in The Grocer's Power List in June.