Parliament 1
In the first of this week’s parliamentary coverage, we hear from Paul Kohler MP and Sorcha Eastwood MP about medicalised quit tools and Northern Ireland
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by Dave Cross
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In the first of this week’s parliamentary coverage, we hear from Paul Kohler MP, who is interested in extending NICE approved non-pharmaceutical smoking cessation provisions. Also, Sorcha Eastwood MP wanted information about the support being offered to smokers in Northern Ireland.
Wimbledon’s Lib Dem MP, Paul Kohler, asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care if the Department “is taking steps to help ensure that local stop smoking services offer the option of a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved non-pharmaceutical method to help smokers quit?”
Andrew Gwynne, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care, responded: “The Government is providing local stop smoking services an additional £70 million this year to support smokers to quit. It will also provide an additional £70 million next year for stop smoking services.
“The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published recommendations for providers of stop smoking services. The guidelines suggest that the most effective way of successfully stopping smoking is through behavioural support therapy combined with either varenicline, nicotine replacement therapy, or nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.
“Local stop smoking services currently offer the option of non-pharmaceutical methods to help smokers quit, alongside behavioural support. According to the 2023/24 annual Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, 20,641, or 11%, of those accessing services and setting a quit date used no pharmaceutical products in their attempt to quit smoking.”
Lagan Valley’s Sorcha Eastwood also directed a question to the Department for Health and Social Care. She asked what discussions the Secretary of State has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on supporting smokers in Northern Ireland to quit.
Andrew Gwynne told her: “The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill was introduced into Parliament on 5 November 2024 and will be the single biggest public health intervention since the Government banned smoking in indoor public spaces. This bill goes further than ever before.
“It will create the first smoke-free generation, gradually phasing out the sale of tobacco products across the country, enable the Government to strengthen the existing ban on smoking in public places, to reduce the harms of passive smoking in certain outdoor settings, ban vapes and nicotine products from being promoted and advertised to children, and introduce tougher enforcement measures, including through providing powers to introduce a retail licensing scheme for tobacco and vapes.
“The bill has been developed in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government, and the Welsh Government. The Department has engaged extensively with all the devolved administrations throughout the process of drafting the bill.
“I also have liaised directly with Minister Nesbitt and his department's officials on the bill's contents and progress and will continue to do so. Stop smoking services and support for smokers to quit are devolved matters, and support for smokers to quit in Northern Ireland is for the Northern Ireland Executive to determine.”
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
