Skip to main content

Written question asked by Lord Howard of Rising (Conservative) on Wednesday, 12 January 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 January 2022. It was answered by Lord Kamall (Conservative) on Monday, 24 January 2022 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Smoking: Health Hazards

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative harms caused by (1) smoking, and (2) vaping.

Answer

Smoking remains the single largest cause of preventable deaths – and it is estimated that two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking. In 2019/20, smoking was responsible for 448,030 hospital admissions, and roughly 64,000 deaths a year between 2017 and 2019.

Although vaping is not risk free, the evidence is increasingly clear that UK regulated e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than smoking tobacco. E-cigarettes are an effective tool in helping smokers to quit, especially when combined with support from local Stop Smoking Services.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL5362
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Health hazards Smoking
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk