Thank you for contacting me about actions the Government is taking to reduce smoking rates in England.
As the single leading behavioural cause of preventable death across our country, responsible for around one in four cancer deaths and 80,000 preventable deaths per year, reducing smoking is crucial for ensuring we live longer, healthier lives.
Significant progress has been made, with smoking rates now the lowest on record, thanks to duty on cigarettes being doubled since 2010 and continued funding of stop smoking services. However, we must reduce smoking rates further given the substantial cost to the economy and the NHS.
The Government has brought forward the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to ensure that children aged 15 or younger - anyone born on or after 1 April 2009 – can never legally be sold tobacco products. By 2040, these proposals will ensure that smoking is phased out completely among young people.
This Bill is focused on those who sell tobacco products or buy them on behalf of someone else. All tobacco products - including heated tobacco and herbal smoking products - will be included in the scope of the Bill. In addition, I want to clarify that a national licence scheme is not being proposed, which could have placed a greater burden on convenience stores.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Kind regards,
Graham