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National No Smoking Day

09 March 2023

Lead MP

Bob Blackman
Harrow East
Con

Responding Minister

Neil O'Brien

Tags

Local Government
Word Count: 11480
Other Contributors: 9

At a Glance

Bob Blackman raised concerns about national no smoking day in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key Requests to Government:

The hon. Member asks for a commitment to introduce a 'polluter pays' charge on the tobacco industry and calls for additional, sustainable funding in next week's Budget to support measures aimed at making England smoke-free by 2030. He also requests that the Government respond promptly to Javed Khan's review of tobacco control.

How the Debate Unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:

Lead Contributor

Harrow East
Opened the debate
The hon. Member is concerned about the high number of smokers in the UK, with 6.6 million people regularly smoking and causing self-inflicted harm. He mentions that every day in England, there are 150 new cancer cases linked to smoking and a person admitted to hospital for a smoking-related illness every minute. The hon. Member also points out the socioeconomic disparity where poorer areas like Kingston upon Hull have higher smoking rates at 22%, while more affluent regions like west Oxfordshire see only 3.2% of households containing smokers.

Government Response

Neil O'Brien
Government Response
Acknowledged the progress in reducing smoking rates to an all-time low of 13%, highlighted investments of £68 million in local authority stop smoking services in 2021-22 leading to nearly 100,000 quits last year, mentioned initiatives such as Stoptober which have helped 2.1 million people quit since 2012, and announced a set of proposals to realise the smokefree 2030 ambition in response to Dr Javed Khan's independent review recommendations.
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About Westminster Hall Debates

Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.