The new tobacco control strategy for England, published on 1 February 2010. The strategy 'establishes a vision of eradicating tobacco harms and creating a smokefree future, so that we can support people to live healthier and longer lives. The strategy follows on from a successful public consultation in 2008 on the future of tobacco control, which drew nearly 100,000 individual responses.'
Download the strategy from the Department of Health website.
The UK Government's Health Act includes a number of tobacco control measures, including provisions to protect children and young people from the harm caused by smoking. These include restrictions on:
The Bill received its first reading in the House of Lords on the 15th of January, and its second reading on the 4th of February. Following committee stages that took place during February and March, the tobacco control measures in the bill were approved by the Lords in a Report Stage Debate on the 6th of May. An amendment to the bill that would have removed the tobacco display ban was defeated by 204 votes to 110. The bill received its third reading in the Lords on the 12th of May before going to the House of Commons.
Following agreement by both houses on the text of the bill, it received Royal Assent on the 12 November 2009 becoming the Health Act 2009.
NB. The main tobacco control measures included in the UK Government's Health Bill will only apply to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill contains key Scottish tobacco control legislation. Full details can be found here.
On July 1st 2007, England introduced a new law to make virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England smokefree.
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 was passed on 7th November 2002 and aims to:
"control the advertising and promotion of tobacco products; and for connected purposes" (source: Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002: Chapter 36). The Act covers:
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertising and promotion of tobacco products in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including sponsorship. There are limited exemptions for specialist tobacconists and at the 'point of sale' in retail outlets/vending machines, both covered by regulations (see below). Separate regulations also prohibit 'brandsharing' - the promotion of a tobacco product by another product (eg clothing, perfume etc) or vice versa. Regulations prohibiting tobacco advertising on the internet came into force in September 2006.
The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 brings the UK in line with a European Directive which prohibits any tobacco advertising with a potentially cross-border effect across the EU.
Tobacco smuggling undermines the Government’s objective to reduce smoking and denies the Exchequer revenue to fund public services. Since the launch of the original Tackling Tobacco Smuggling Strategy in 2000 the illicit market share has been reduced from 21 per cent to about 16 per cent in 2003/04 , protecting £6bn in revenue. The strategy is being reinforced to clamp down further on smuggling, and to tackle the persistent smuggling of hand-rolling tobacco and the growing threat from counterfeit.
New responses to new challenges: Reinforcing the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling Strategy (March 2006)
Details of how the Government is reinforcing its strategy to tackle tobacco smuggling
More information on smuggling
In June 2000, the House of Commons Health Select Committee published a major report on The Tobacco Industry and the Health Risks of Smoking.