Ministers accused over smoking age
The government has been accused of trying to buy support for its plans to introduce a partial smoking ban in England and Wales.
Reports this weekend suggested that the Department of Health (DoH) was considering raising the age at which people could buy cigarettes from 16 to 18.
It comes after campaigning by Labour MP Jeff Ennis, who believes the move would help deter children from taking up the habit, and bring it in line with age restrictions for alcohol.
However, anti-smoking group Ash this morning warned that the timing of the move raised questions about the government’s motives.
The health bill, in which plans to ban smoking in all pubs and clubs not serving food are contained, is due to be debated tomorrow by a committee of MPs, on which Mr Ennis sits.
Ash director Deborah Arnott has now accused ministers of announcing the change to the law on tobacco sales to persuade people like Mr Ennis to back the partial smoking ban.
“This move has been made because they know that if [Mr Ennis is] given encouragement to think that he will get the measure he really wants, he’s not going to vote against the government,” she told Today.
“I know it’s popular with the public and it sounds like it makes sense, but we always look at the evidence, and I think it is a very real distraction from the main event and that’s why the government are talking about it now.”
However, Mr Ennis rejected that he was being bought off, saying that he still had an “open mind” on plans for a partial ban on smoking.
“I’m quite willing to listen to lots of representations currently being made by organisations such as Ash and Deborah makes a very strong case,” he told the same programme.
“But at the end of the day I’ll have to listen to both sides of the argument, both from the lobbying organisations and from the minister.”
And he insisted that the government was considering raising the tobacco age because of increasing pressure within parliament, and outside – he cited a recent survey showing that 80 per cent of the public would support an increase to 18.
Plans for a partial ban on smoking were announced by health secretary Patricia Hewitt in October, and fulfil Labour’s election manifesto.
However, support has been growing for a blanket ban, as seen in Ireland and Italy, and Ms Hewitt herself is thought to have been in favour of this, but could not get it through the cabinet.
