---

Health Bill

I wonder whether I can persuade the Minister—I have my doubts as to whether I will be able to do so—that this whole matter is political correctness gone completely stark raving mad. Why should you be able to dictate to a lorry driver whether, while sitting on his own in the cab on a long journey, he may or may not smoke? As my noble friend Lord Howe said, you have natural ventilation and internal ventilation. As I understand it, the Bill is not to do with the health of the smokers themselves but with the health of those who inhale such ““noxious fumes””. The noble Lord, Lord Palmer—I nearly called him my noble friend; he is my friend but not in a political sense—used the instance of a tractor driver working X hours on his own in a cab. Why should he not be allowed to smoke, for heaven’s sake? The pendulum has swung so far in the wrong direction that it is mind-boggling. I would love to hear the Minister’s response.