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Climbdown on bonfire of EU laws sparks fury among Brexiteers
The government has announced a major climbdown over its Brexit plans to remove EU laws from British statute books by the end of the year.
The EU Retained Law Bill currently going through parliament was due to automatically delete any European legislation at the end of 2023 – unless it was explicitly chosen to be saved.
But ministers on Wednesday quietly confirmed that they were gutting the bill’s “sunset clause” and that the mass deletion would not go ahead as planned.
Now, only EU laws specifically chosen to be repealed will be scrapped – with the rest automatically becoming UK law at the end of the year.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said in a written statement published on Wednesday afternoon that said she was proposing “a new approach” which would “replace the current sunset in the Bill with a list of the retained EU laws that we intend to revoke under the Bill at the end of 2023”.
Ms Badenoch says the number of laws intended to be revoked by ministers at the end of 2023 is around 600 out of 4,800 on the books.
Source: The Independent, 11 May 2023
Editorial note: The retained EU law bill could have a significant impact on tobacco control as EU-derived legislation for list of tobacco regulations is considered in the scope. See the Retained EU Law dashboard.
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Opinion: Government’s new primary care plan will address surge in demand for GPs
Writing in The Times, Steve Barclay, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, discusses the newly announced primary care recovery plan.
Barclay writes that primary care, and GPs in particular, are facing unprecedented demand and sets out the three main pillars of the plan to help meet this rising demand.
Firstly, improving the technology available to GP staff will help reduce the ‘8am scramble’ where an average practice will receive around 100 calls in the first hour they are open. The Secretary of State notes that investing in technology that gives patients greater flexibility in how they communicate with staff will free up phone lines and makes sure people are able to get the information they need when they need it.
Secondly, Barclay writes that the plan will empower pharmacists to provide treatment for minor illnesses which will take the pressure off general practice.
Lastly, Barclay wites that increasing the amount of staff and reducing the amount of time GPs spend on ‘non-GP work’ is an essential part of the recovery plan. This involves cutting bureaucracy and the upcoming NHS workforce plan will include plans to expand GP training capacity.
Barclay concludes that primary care is one of the most ‘dynamic and innovative parts’ of the NHS and this plan will support staff and enable more patients to access the service.
Source: The Times, 9 May 2023
See also: NHS England – Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care
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Altria agrees to $235 mln settlement to resolve Juul-related cases
Altria Group Inc said Wednesday that it will pay $235 million to settle at least 6,000 lawsuits accusing it of fuelling a teen vaping epidemic through its former investment in e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc.
The deal ends nearly all of the litigation brought against the tobacco giant over Juul by local government bodies and individuals across the United States. It came shortly after San Francisco's public school district finished presenting its case against the company in a jury trial, which will now be cut short.
Sarah London, one of the lead attorneys for plaintiffs in the litigation, in a statement said the deal would "provide extraordinary and truly meaningful relief for youth, parents, and governmental organizations nationwide."
Altria expects to record a pre-tax charge of $235 million in the second quarter of 2023 and intends to exclude it from adjusted earnings per share.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits claimed that Juul marketed to teenagers with sweet flavors and flashy social media campaigns. They said Altria helped the strategy by letting Juul use its sales force and place its products next to Altria's on shelves.
Juul previously settled most of the cases against it, paying more than $1 billion to 48 states and territories and $1.7 billion to individuals and local government entities.
Source: Reuters, 10 May 2023
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Parliamentary Questions
Asked by Royston Smith, Conservative, Southampton, Itchen
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release, Crackdown on illegal sale of vapes, published on 9 April 2023, what his planned timescale is for the (a) appointment and (b) launch of the illicit vapes enforcement squad; which Department the new team will sit under; whether it will be affiliated to a Government agency; and whether he plans to publish reports on the work and progress of the squad.
Answered by Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities within the Department is currently designing the scope and delivery mechanism for the new illicit vaping enforcement squad. We are working closely with a range of organisations including Trading Standards, the Office of Product and Safety Standards, Border Force and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, who will help deliver the programme over the next two years. We will provide further details, including on timelines, monitoring and reporting, in due course.
Source: Hansard, 9 May 2023
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Asked by Rachael Maskell, Labour, York Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) banning the sale of vaping devices and (b) providing vaping devices to active smokers.
Answered by Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
We have no current plans to make an assessment. There is clear evidence that vapes are substantially less harmful to health than smoking and are an effective tool to help smokers to quit. On 11 April 2023, we announced a new national swap to stop scheme offering a million active smokers across England a free vaping starter kit alongside behavioural support.
Source: Hansard, 10 May 2023
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Asked by Rachael Maskell, Labour, York Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the illegal sale of vapes (a) smuggled in through the UK borders and (b) via internet sales; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the illegal sale of vapes on his public health strategy.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that vaping devices are only sold at regulated outlets.
Answered by Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
On 11 April 2023, we launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce youth vaping. The call for evidence explores issues related to regulatory compliance, including those sold online and in retail outlets. Once this closes, this year, on 6 June, the Government will assess a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential future changes to vaping policy and regulation. The Government continues to provide funding to local authorities in support of local trading standards activity. This includes enforcement of non-compliant and/or illegal products that may pose a risk to public health.
We recently announced £3 million of additional funding for a new national illicit vaping enforcement unit to tackle illicit and underage vape sales across the country. This will help us to better understand trends related to illegal vaping, ascertain what is imported at United Kingdom borders and allow us to assess the impact of the illegal sale of vapes on public health
Source: Hansard, 10 May 2023
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Asked by Rachael Maskell, Labour, York Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide support programmes to young people who have taken up vaping.
Answered by Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
In October 2022, we published new content on the potential risks of vaping for young people on the FRANK and Better Health websites and we have provided input to educational resources produced by partners including the PSHE Association.
We are also developing a new resource pack for schools on vaping which will be made available by July. Our new national swap to stop programme, launched on 11 April, will also provide support to people who want to quit vaping.
Source: Hansard, 10 May 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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