In a written answer to Scottish Parliament, the Dundee East MSP and public health minister said it had been estimated that a solution to comply with the ban could cost as little as £20.

But NFRN national president Suleman Khonat said it was the second time Ms Robison has misquoted the NFRN — which says the cost to retailers could be as high as £1500.

Mr Khonat said, “The NFRN strongly objects to Shona Robison’s assertion in her written answers and in the draft regulations that we have estimated the cost of gantry modification in Scotland to be ‘as little as £20’, and would like to point out that this is the second time the minister has misquoted us.

“Indeed, if the Scottish regulations follow the complexity of the English regulations — as they appear to at this stage — we anticipate the cost to retailers to be about £1500.

“This cost takes into consideration that the modifications required are substantial and complex; need to be made in situ and probably out of office hours for health and safety reasons; and will likely need to be made by qualified electricians as gantries have lighting and electrical supplies.

“If the Scottish Government believes the costs to be so nominal, then perhaps it could consider funding the modifications it is asking retailers to make.”

Ms Robison said in the parliamentary written answer to Labour’s Jackie Baillie that officials had been working with retailers to minimise the cost of complying with the ban.

“Draft regulations allow retailers to modify their gantries rather than having to refit their shop, significantly reducing the cost to comply with the legislation,” she said.

“The least expensive option offered by the NFRN would involve installing a white plastic fronting to each row on the gantry. It has been estimated that such a solution could cost as little as £20 for the materials for each fronting, with minimal installation costs.”

Ms Robison’s figures have already been questioned by David Forbes, the Scottish president of the NFRN and owner of Forbes Newsagents in Dundee’s Clepington Road.

Mr Forbes told the Tele last week, “I think plastic cards or fronting would be acceptable, but I’m not sure about £20 a shelf. That would have to be looked at. It’s a far superior idea to taking away gantries, which would be ridiculous. The question is, who will pay for this?”

Ms Robison said today the Government had never said the costings came from the NFRN.

“The NFRN came up with a potential solution which we, not the NFRN, have costed,” she said.

Ministers want to ban tobacco displays in shops as part of a raft of measures aimed at cutting the health toll from smoking in Scotland.

But nine out of 10 retailers feel the Government has not listened to their concerns about the display ban, according to a poll conducted last year.