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Health Bill

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. The prevalence of smoking in England and other parts of the country is going down among all groups, including working-class men. Indeed, the evidence on young women is not as clear cut as he suggests. Smoking rates are going down. They are going down even faster among better-off groups. Of course, we need to do more on smoking cessation programmes, in particular, alongside the Bill. The Bill is an enormous step forward for public health. It will help to reduce the number of people smoking by a further 500,000 to 750,000 over time. It will help to reduce the number of deaths of people in the work force that are associated with second-hand smoke, which is estimated at some 500 to 600 a year. When framing the legislation—this was the point of many debates and the public consultation that took place before the publication of the ““Choosing Health”” White Paper and, indeed, the election—we are striking a balance between two extremes: on the one hand, an over-prescriptive state; and on the other, which is represented by Conservative Members, an irresponsibly laissez-faire Government. We are responding to the clear wish of the public to be protected from other people’s smoking in public places, especially restaurants, on the one hand, and on the other hand allowing people who want to have a cigarette with a drink to do so.