Health Bill

My Lords, a Bill of seven parts should encourage me to examine each of the parts with equal vigilance. In this case, I am sure that noble Lords will accept that it is not unsurprising that an ardent campaigner for a total ban on smoking in public places would spend most of the time considering Part 1, Chapters 1 and 2. This is not to say that the other six parts are neither fascinating nor interesting, or that they do not give rise to many questions. However, those of us who take part in Second Reading debates in your Lordships’ House usually concentrate on the issues they feel most passionately about. As the Bill progresses through your Lordships’ House, there will be opportunities to raise issues on other matters, not least, in my case, Part 2, which is on healthcare-associated infections, and Part 5, which is on the Appointments Commission. The Minister graphically described the effects of smoking on the health of our nation—600,000 deaths per annum from passive smoking is one—and he is right to say that the Bill will make a tangible difference. It has been a very long haul to convince the Government that we need—