Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Smoking Cessation

Tuesday 25 April 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department introduced a new funding scheme called swap to stop to help a million smokers quit.
  • The Department is consulting on new cigarette pack inserts similar to those used in Canada.
  • Public health grants will increase by 5% in real terms over the next two years.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Eastwood
Context

The question addresses the ongoing efforts by the government to reduce smoking rates in England.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to encourage people to stop smoking. The smoking rate has decreased from 21% in 2010 to 13% now, partly due to measures like minimum excise tax on cheap cigarettes and double duty on cigarettes.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

We have introduced significant new funding to help a million smokers quit through the swap to stop scheme, and we are consulting on new pack inserts similar to those in Canada. We also introduced a financial incentive for pregnant women.

Answered
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Q2 Mark Eastwood
NHS
Context

The question builds on the announcement of measures to help achieve the Smokefree 2030 target.

Question

Does the Minister agree that we should continue pursuing harm reduction strategies such as swap to stop to ensure we maintain our position as a world leader in public health?

Answer from Neil O'Brien

I absolutely agree and congratulate the hon. Friend on quitting smoking using nicotine patches. The swap to stop scheme is based on strong local evidence and has proven successful.

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Q3 Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North
NHS
Context

Smokers in England face a postcode lottery when trying to access smoking cessation services.

Question

What is the Minister doing to ensure that everybody who needs smoking cessation services is able to access them?

Answer from Neil O'Brien

Public health grants will go up by 5% in real terms over the next two years. We want to reduce postcode variation and are keen to speak to anyone who wants to work with us at a local level.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures or mechanisms for ensuring access were not detailed

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Q4 Martyn Day SNP
NHS
Context

The Khan review recommended increasing investment in smokefree policies, but the UK Government's recent announcement did not mention this recommendation.

Question

What representations have been made with Cabinet colleagues about implementing the Khan review's key recommendation to improve public health outcomes across all four nations?

Answer from Neil O'Brien

I recently had a productive meeting with my Scottish Government counterpart. We have already doubled tobacco duty since 2010 and introduced minimum tax for cheaper cigarettes.

Not addressed: Specific representations about the Khan review recommendation were not addressed

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