Contribution
My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 203 in my name, which is also supported by my noble friend Lady Walmsley. She is sorry that she cannot be here today because of ill health. I know she is keeping a close eye on us, but I hope she takes it easy and will be back with us soon.
Amendment 203—to change the subject slightly—would require the Government to publish, shortly after Royal Assent, a communications plan to support the implementation of the smoke-free generation policy and to raise public awareness. We know that the ban on smoking in public places was effectively communicated so that those who needed to take action were well prepared to do so and the public knew what the plans were. We want to see the same actions here.
When this amendment was tabled in Committee, it was excellent to hear the Minister strongly agree that such communication was vital. Many of us involved in this debate over the years know from experience how effective public health communication can be. We have played our part in the major advances in tobacco control, from smoke-free public places to changes in the age of sale and plain packaging—and we have had all the same arguments coming back at us. None of those reforms succeeded by chance. They worked because they were carefully planned, cross-party in approach and underpinned by communication strategies that brought the public with them. The Bill is an excellent piece of legislation, far-sighted and potentially significant for our children and grandchildren.
We fully realise how the industry—represented here today, I can see—will, as ever, push back against this measure using every device in the book. We have seen that time after time in this Chamber over the years, with very familiar arguments.
I commend those who have helped to bring about this legislation, from Professor Khan to Professor Chris Whitty, from Rishi Sunak to the current Government. The Bill team have done a fantastic job in bringing together previously fragmented strands of tobacco regulation, seeking to close loopholes so that we create a framework that is robust enough to withstand future industry innovation, which, again, is extremely familiar. This might indeed be one of the last tobacco Bills needing to pass through this House—not that I hold my breath.
This legislation contains a world-leading and genuinely novel policy to help to deliver a smoke-free generation, which the Opposition are also theoretically committed to. It therefore creates a real opportunity not just to implement a new age of sale but to communicate the harms of smoking and promote smoking cessation, just as the ban on smoking in public places did. I therefore welcome the Minister’s comments in Committee that clear guidance will be published and the Government will work to ensure successful implementation. But guidance alone is the minimum requirement, and I hope the Government’s ambition goes further than that.
In 2007, as those of us here then will remember, when smoke-free legislation was introduced, the message was simple, consistent and widespread. The Government did not leave it to businesses and others to explain on their behalf. Stakeholders were identified early, supported properly, not undermined with all sorts of reasons to feel anxious, and given time to prepare. Guidance, signage and materials were ready well in advance. National TV adverts raised awareness. The result was immediate: we saw 98% compliance on day one, accompanied by growing public support.
That approach achieved more than compliance; it changed attitudes. It sparked conversations about the harms of smoking, not the liberties—as if an addiction is a liberty—and encouraged many people to try to quit. That kind of cultural shift is exactly what this legislation should aim to replicate. Although the rising age of sale applies to a specific cohort, a wider objective is to engage the whole population and frame smoking cessation as a shared national endeavour.