Cigarette packs sold here will have standardised plain packaging with bigger health warnings.

With new rules passed in Parliament yesterday, logos, colours, images or other promotional information associated with the tobacco brand will also not be allowed to be shown on cigarette packaging.

As for product and brand names, they will be allowed in a standardised font style and colour.

The minimum size of graphic health warnings depicting the ill effects of smoking like gum disease will also be increased to 75 per cent of the packaging surface, up from 50 per cent.

The changes - under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) (Amendment) Bill - aim to discourage non-smokers from picking up the habit, urge existing smokers to quit and encourage Singaporeans to adopt a tobacco-free lifestyle, said Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong.

He said: "Cigarette packs serve as a 'five-second commercial' whenever the pack is drawn from the shelf or one's pocket, held in the palm of a hand or placed in full view on the table.

"Evidence suggests that the appeal of branded packaging also acts as one of the factors encouraging children and young adults to experiment with tobacco and to establish, and thereafter continue, a habit of smoking."

Mr Tong cited the success of anti-smoking measures - including the introduction of standardised packaging - taken in other countries like Australia and France.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said it will soon announce more details on the new rules, including the specifications of the packaging standards and when they will be introduced.

The Bill also raises the maximum fine for the unlicensed import, distribution, possession and sale of tobacco products from $5,000 to $10,000 for first-time offenders and from $10,000 to $20,000 for repeat offenders.

During the debate, seven MPs sought clarifications on the new requirements and raised concerns about their potential negative effects.

Dr Chia Shi Lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC) asked if standardised packaging would lead to consumers choosing cheaper tobacco products due to lower product differentiation, thus leading to an overall increase in smoking rates - a phenomenon known as "down-trading".

He also wanted to know if the latest measures could prompt an increase in counterfeit products.

Mr Tong said down-trading was observed in Australia even before standardised packaging was introduced. The impact of standardised packaging is likely to be modest, he said, adding that policies to make low-price brands less affordable, like raising taxes, can be introduced.

Mr Tong also said most illicit tobacco products in Singapore are genuine but duty-unpaid cigarettes, not counterfeits.

He added that there is no evidence that buyers on the black market will choose counterfeits in standardised packaging over genuine contraband cigarettes.

Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) asked how the requirements would be enforced and suggested that MOH introduce a separate agency for the task, similar to Australia's Tobacco Plain Packaging Enforcement Committee.

Mr Tong said the enforcement of tobacco control laws falls under the Health Sciences Authority and is done at the importer, manufacturer and distributor levels. He added that the existing regulatory regime is adequate.