PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Smoking: Hospitality Industry (5 September 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out impact assessments of the Government’s plans to ban (a) smoking and (b) vaping (i) in pub gardens, (ii) at outdoor restaurant tables, (iii) at outdoor shisha bar seating and (iv) in outdoor nightclubs.

Asked by:
Stuart Andrew (Conservative)

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.

The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.

An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.

Answered by:
Andrew Gwynne (Labour)
13 September 2024