Member

I now turn to the other amendments in this group. I thank my noble friend Lord Moylan for his amendments, which would create an interim period in which the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products is raised to 21. I have just mentioned public understanding and these amendments invite an important and, I think, worthwhile discussion. They raise the question of whether a more incremental approach—raising the age of sale to 21 across the board before moving to the generational model—might be a more proportionate and workable step. I hope that the Minister will recognise the spirit in which my noble friend clearly brings these amendments forward, which is to ensure that public understanding, enforcement and retailer readiness are not outpaced by legislative ambition. I trust that she will engage fully with my noble friend’s point that a phased or transitional model could provide a more practical route to the same public health goal, while avoiding some of the enforcement pitfalls of the generational system.