Member

It appears that at least one EU member state has signalled that the smoking ban could breach EU law. We have had references to what happened in Denmark and elsewhere. The standstill period has now been extended to 18 February. Can the Government outline their knowledge of what is going on? Which member states have objected? What is the current status of the standstill period? At the time, a government spokesperson said that the Bill was not delayed, although clearly nothing can happen until 18 February. The spokesperson said that they expect it to apply to the whole of the United Kingdom. These words—expectation, aspiration, intention—are very unusual when it comes to primary legislation. Surely a UK Government should be able to say, in presenting draft legislation to Parliament, that it will apply and that there is a guarantee. I look forward to the Minister’s response.