Health Bill

It is essential that this clause be retained in the Bill. I know that certain Members of the Committee have questioned the evidence on the effects of passive smoking. A great deal of evidence has been produced and circulated by the Minister. However, I recommend that the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, looks at the British Medical Journal of 6 May in which there is an excellent paper from the United States. It quotes in its references a number of very well authenticated studies which have demonstrated the harmful effect of passive smoking in relation to lung disease and cardiovascular disease. Its statistics are very clear cut and would, I am sure, convince even the noble Lord, Lord Skidelsky; it indicates that passive smoking is a major risk in relation to the development of diabetes. This is a new piece of evidence, which is quite powerful. So I ask Members of the Committee who are concerned about the validity of passive smoking as a health hazard to look at that article. On Sunday afternoon, I was sitting at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, watching Newcastle United defeat Chelsea. There were 52,000 people there. The seats are very close together and, as I mentioned previously in Committee, the announcer said, ““The risks of passive smoking are well known and there will be no smoking in the seated area of the stadium””. In a sports stadium like that, which is open to the air, the risk to human health of passive smoking would be high because of the propinquity of the individuals seated. For that reason, I believe that it is essential that the clause should be retained in the Bill.