Member

That is a terrible thing to do. As well as being complex to achieve and having no health benefit, it would be a serious travesty to put people out of work, reduce investment and reduce someone’s well-being by closing down something well established for no reason whatever. I ask noble Lords to come alongside me in making sure that the facts are known and that we are dealing only with facts-based legislation, rather than any other sort. If the Minister were to look at this as a possibility, which I hope she will not, clearly, we would have to agree now that a full impact assessment would be brought to bear to understand the real cost to the economy and to people’s lives and livelihoods. The premise would have to be based on there being a significant risk to health and that this would fit within the overall legislation to bring in a smoke-free generation of those born after 2009.