Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Philip Davies (Conservative) on Monday, 4 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 6 December 2023. It was answered by Andrea Leadsom (Conservative) on Monday, 11 December 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Tobacco: Sales

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to introduce smoking wardens to enforce the generational ban on tobacco products.

Answer

Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.

This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products.

The Government is providing an additional £30 million a year for enforcement agencies such as trading standards, Border Force and HM Revenue and Customs to implement and enforce the law. The Smokefree generation consultation also proposes to introduce new powers for local authorities to issue on-the-spot fines, otherwise known as fixed penalty notices.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
4955
Session
2023-24
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Enforcement Sales Tobacco Smoking
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk