Health Bill

I praise the Government for the positive and strong efforts that they have made in addressing the problems of smoking. I shall make a simple plea, and that is to say to the Government that they should grasp the nettle, go further than the proposals set out in the Bill and follow the lead from Smoke-Free Liverpool, which proposes a comprehensive ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces, including all licensed premises. Smoke-Free Liverpool brings together the city council on a cross-party basis, the primary care trusts, John Moores university, the Roy Castle foundation, the chambers of commerce and the trades council. It has brought those organisations together to introduce a private Bill, currently in the other place, that proposes a comprehensive ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces in Liverpool. The Bill has had its Second Reading in the other place and awaits detailed scrutiny. It is important. It is an initiative that comes from Liverpool. It shows realistically what can be done. The impact of Smoke-Free Liverpool has been profound, even in the short time in which it has been in existence. It has been working closely in the community and there has been a 25 per cent. increase in the number of people who want to stop smoking approaching smoking cessation services. There has been work across the communities and work with young people. There has been significant correspondence and discussion with the chief medical officer. Indeed, Sir Liam Donaldson wrote to Smoke-Free Liverpool on 7 November and stated:"““Finally, I have made it clear that I am totally opposed to the various hybrid proposals that were discussed and my view was made known to members of the relevant Cabinet Sub-Committee.””" He supports the major thrust of the proposals coming from Smoke-Free Liverpool. In his letter, Sir Liam drew attention to the significant change in public opinion on this issue over the past two or three years. It is clear that public opinion is changing. Following the Government’s own consultation, it was found that 90 per cent. and more of the 57,000 respondents opposed the exemption for pubs not serving food. Did that include the 11,700 postcards and 8,500 e-mails which were sent as a consequence of that consultation from Smoke-Free Liverpool? There appears to be no reference in those replies in the official report on the consultation. It is significant that that should have happened. There have been references to the situation in other parts of the world, including the United States. Scotland has decided to impose a complete ban from next March. Wales has decided to do so when it receives the necessary powers, and they will not be long in coming. The Republic of Ireland has already taken its decision. Northern Ireland Ministers have already proposed similar action there. The Under-Secretary of State wrote to Smoke-Free Liverpool on 26 October and stated that the main reason for him making the proposal was that"““a key factor in my decision was the evidence that partial controls would create a two-tier workforce whereby some employees would be protected from second-hand smoke while others would not.””" An obvious question has to be asked. If it is right for employees in Northern Ireland—it is not at present under a devolved assembly—to be protected from second-hand smoke, why should that same protection be denied to employees in England? That does not make sense. The statement made by the Minister was clear and unequivocal. The issue is about smoking in general. It is also about health and equality, given that that is a major thrust of Government policy. It is particularly about the impact of second-hand smoke and the effect of that on those who are not smokers themselves. Employees must be a prime category in that consideration. One reason why Smoke-Free Liverpool emerged was that Liverpool has had, regrettably, the title of the lung cancer centre of the United Kingdom. Indeed, the Roy Castle foundation had its headquarters in Liverpool for that very reason. That is a sad fact, given the prevalence of smoking in Liverpool. We see that 34 per cent. of the population are smokers. If we look more closely at the work done by Smoke-Free Liverpool, that figure increases to 50 per cent. in some of the most deprived areas in the city. There is the Government’s evidence and the reasons for their current recommendations. They state that throughout the country, presumably, between 10 and 30 per cent. of pubs will be exempt from the ban. That is because they do not serve food. In Liverpool, that figure is 59 per cent. In Liverpool, an area suffering great ill health, six out of 10 pubs do not serve food and a third of pubs currently serving food say that they would stop doing so if the proposals in the Bill came into force. The impact of that would be to increase health inequality. The report to the Department of Health from the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health underlines the significance of second-hand smoke. The increased risk of heart disease goes up by 25 per cent. The increased risk of lung cancer goes up by 24 per cent. Even low levels of second-hand smoking increases the risk of adults developing asthma by up to five-fold. That is clear, and it should not be accepted. All those risks will be exacerbated for bar workers, who will be subject to second-hand smoking in a concentrated form. That concern should be foremost in our deliberations.