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Health Bill

I support the clause and endorse everything that the noble Lord, Lord Walton, has said. I do not—as the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, has alleged that I do—want to ban smoking everywhere. I believe that smoking is an activity in which people should be allowed to engage in private and in the open air if it is a question of open air against enclosed spaces, but people should be protected from the effects of second-hand smoke. They should be protected in all enclosed areas—in workplaces and in establishments such as bars and restaurants—and, for the reasons given by the noble Lord, Lord Walton, they should also be protected from the effects of second-hand smoke in venues such as sports stadiums, where people are in very close proximity to each other and where there are also very large numbers of children. I assume that the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, is not advocating that people should be free to smoke where children are present or in close proximity.