Member

It is the case that councils are already provided with a ring-fenced budget for public health to address local needs. I can again confirm that, as the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, mentioned, in 2025-26 we are increasing funding through the public health grant to £3.884 billion. That is an average cash increase of 6.1% and a real-terms increase of 3.4%, as compared to the previous year. In addition, an additional £70 million is being provided to support current smokers to quit through local authority-led stop smoking services in England. As we discussed earlier in Committee, support is also being provided through the national Swap to Stop scheme and the national smoke-free pregnancy incentives scheme. I hope that these points provide assurance.