Smoking Cessation: PQ: 2008

12 November 2008

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact of the ban on smoking in public places on the (a) prevalence of smoking among and (b) health of (i) pregnant women and (ii) the total population and what assessment has been of similar experiences in other countries.
(S3W-17367)

Shona Robison: Although the smoke-free laws are undoubtedly the most important piece of public health legislation for a generation, they form part of a much wider tobacco control strategy, including programmes targeted specifically at reducing smoking among pregnant women, which is being pursued by the Scottish Government to drive down smoking prevalence across the population. For this reason, it is not possible to make a specific assessment of the unique contribution the smoking ban has had on smoking prevalence or to point to specific evidence showing that the smoking ban has accelerated the rate of decline.

Nevertheless, from the results available to date from the national evaluation of Scotland's smoke-free legislation to assess its impact in the short and longer terms which is being conducted by the Clean-air Legislation Evaluation (CLEAN) Collaboration, Scotland is already beginning to reap the benefits of the smoking ban. For example, there is evidence of a 17% reduction in admissions for heart attacks among non-smokers to nine Scottish hospitals and of almost a 40% reduction in second hand smoke exposure in both non-smoking adults and children. Moreover, and importantly, there is evidence of a change in the cultural acceptability of smoking.

The Scottish Government wishes to capitalise on this shift in cultural attitudes to smoking, by stepping up action to stop people starting to smoke in the first place. In May 2008 we published a new smoking prevention action plan Scotland's Future is Smoke-free which sets out an ambitious programme of measures designed specifically to dissuade children and young people from smoking.

As far as international experience is concerned, a US study found a 4% reduction in smoking prevalence after the introduction of the smoking ban in New York. However, the ban was accompanied by an increase in the cost of tobacco which is also a factor in smoking reduction, and it is impossible to disentangle the relative contribution of each policy to the decline in smoking prevalence witnessed in New York.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets exist for reducing smoking and what progress has been made toward achieving them.
(S3W-17368)

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to reducing the smoking rate for adults aged 16 and over to 22% by 2010. The longer term trend in smoking prevalence is clearly downwards, with rates decreasing from 30.4% in 1999 to 24.7% in 2007.

The Scottish Government is further committed to reducing smoking during pregnancy from 23.8% in 2004 to 20% in 2010. The overall percentage of women smoking at the time of their first antenatal booking has decreased consistently from 29.0% in 1995 to 21.7% in 2006 and a low of 20.9% in 2007. However, it should be noted that the percentage of ‘unknowns’ has risen from 5% in 1995 to 9.4% in 2006 and 11.9% in 2007 and that this may include a proportion of smokers.

In the recently published, Scotland’s Future is Smoke-free (May 2008), the Scottish Government set new separate targets for boys and girls aged 13 and 15 and for 16 to 24-year-olds as set out below:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0/

To reduce the level of smoking amongst:

13-year-old girls from 5% in 2006 to 3% in 2014

13-year-old boys from 3% in 2006 to 2% in 2014

15-year-old girls from 18% in 2006 to 14% in 2014

15-year-old boys from 12% in 2006 to 9% in 2014

16 to 24-year-olds from 26.5% in 2006 to 22.9% in 2012.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements exist for the monitoring of the prevalence of smoking among pregnant women.
(S3W-17369)

Shona Robison: Smoking history is recorded at the first antenatal booking appointment. This information is used as an indicator of prevalence of smoking among pregnant women. Data collected on the national smoking cessation database provides information on the number of pregnant women attempting to quit smoking through NHS smoking cessation services.
 

14 April 2008

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the budget for smoking cessation will be allocated in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11, shown in real terms at 2007-08 prices and broken down by NHS board, local authority or other relevant geographical unit.

Holding answer issued: 14 April 2008         (S3W-10956)

Shona Robison:In addition to funding available from NHS boards’ general allocations – around £2 million per annum - the following table provides information on the specific allocations made for smoking cessation services and related tobacco control activity shown in real terms at 2007-08 prices and broken down by NHS board. Decisions will be made shortly about the increased allocations which will be made to NHS boards over the next three years from the additional £3 million per annum which has been earmarked under Spending Review 2007 for tobacco control activity.

14 March 2008

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will support people who are trying to give up smoking. (S3F-605)

The First Minister (Alex Salmond): Yesterday was national no smoking day. I congratulate everyone who has taken the difficult first step towards stopping smoking. The Scottish Government wants to support people to stop smoking all year round, which is why we are investing in NHS smoking cessation services.

Dr Simpson: I invite the First Minister to join me in congratulating those who organised the day and took part in the celebrations. I know that the First Minister will be aware that every day there are 35 smoking-related deaths in Scotland, amounting to one in four of all deaths in Scotland. He will also be aware that the Scottish Government has cut the smoking cessation budget by almost 6 per cent in real terms over the next three years. How does the First Minister justify cutting spending on preventing Scotland's number one killer disease?

The First Minister: As Richard Simpson knows, expenditure on public health initiatives in Scotland will rise sharply over the next three years. He also knows that Action on Smoking and Health Scotland has told ministers and officials that it welcomes the development of the forthcoming smoking prevention action plan. I am delighted to congratulate and celebrate those who have worked on no smoking day, which is a splendid initiative that the whole chamber should welcome. Richard Simpson, in particular, will welcome the fact that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has announced that, for the first time ever, healthy living centres will receive central Government funding—especially as six of those centres closed under the previous Administration.

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