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What could be in the 2023 King's Speech?
King Charles will outline the government's law-making plans in a speech to Parliament on Tuesday. The ceremonial address, his first as monarch, will detail the legislation that ministers intend to pass in the coming year.
It will be the first such blueprint of Rishi Sunak's government, and likely the last before the next UK general election, expected next year.
The speech could include legislation to implement the gradual smoking ban announced by the prime minister at this year's Conservative Party conference.
Under the plan, the legal age to buy cigarettes in England, currently 18, would automatically rise by one year every year.
It would mean today's 14-year-olds, born after January 2009, will never be able to legally smoke.
Source: BBC News, 4 November 2023
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“The ‘nanny state’ has given us a lot of freedom,” says England’s leading public health director
At the Conservative Party conference Rishi Sunak surprised delegates by making a bold health policy commitment – his intention to ban cigarettes for anyone currently aged 14 or under. The Prime Minister’s announcement incited outrage from his libertarian peers, including his predecessor Liz Truss, who made it very clear she would vote against such “illiberal” legislation.
Disagreement over what role the government should play in personal choice is not limited to the Conservative Party. People invoke the “nanny state” to deride official protectiveness and over-involvement in our lives. But health is impacted not only by individual choice, but by factors beyond our control.
In fact, it is unfair to place the onus of “good health” on the individual, says Greg Fell, the president of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), when conglomerates like big tobacco “invest millions into clever marketing and advertising strategies that are specifically aimed at [securing] the next generation of smokers”.
Speaking of the government’s new smokefree policy Fell says “It’s a watershed moment, just as the ban on smoking in public places was,” he tells Spotlight regarding Sunak’s conference announcement. “And it’s an opportunity to make a long-lasting, significant difference to our nation’s health. It’s vital that we get it over the line.”
“There isn’t a single big idea,” says Fell, when asked what he thinks the most pertinent public health issue is. “If we want to accelerate the improvement to life expectancy, let’s start with tobacco and air quality. But really, if I had to say one thing, it’s reframing our narrative on health.”
By this, he means redefining what “health” is – not simply intervening with treatment when someone gets ill, but stopping them from getting ill in the first place. He also wants to challenge the perception that public health legislation restricts personal freedoms, when historically, he says, it has done the opposite.
“Let’s be honest, the ‘nanny state’ has actually given us an awful lot of freedom,” says Fell. “As a direct result of these and other measures brought in by the state, disease and accident incident has fallen, life expectancy has risen, and we’ve been given the freedom to live and enjoy our lives for longer.”
Source: The New Statesman, 31 October 2023
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Dozens of children under ten hospitalised for vaping
There have been a big rise in hospital admissions linked to vaping for children under the age of ten since the start of last year, figures show.
NHS hospital admissions for “vaping-related disorders” have tripled in two years across all age groups, with more than 1,000 admissions since the start of 2020.
Since the start of 2022, there have been 66 hospitalisations due to vaping for under twenties. For those under the age of ten, there have been 24 admissions, up from two in the same period two years ago.
The government, which has opened a consultation for parents to contribute their thoughts on vaping, is considering a ban on disposable vapes, in addition to wider restrictions on flavours, packaging and advertisement.
Nicholas Hopkinson, professor of respiratory medicine and chairman of ASH, said: “Although this isn’t on the scale of passive smoking, which causes around 5,000 children to be admitted to hospital every year in this country, any hospital admission is a concern.
“The simple message is that growing lungs need to breathe clean air. In young people, vaping can cause irritation to the airways in the lung and aggravate asthma. We know what worked to bring down smoking rates in early teens. Vaping needs the same approach, taking steps to reduce the affordability, accessibility and appeal of vapes to keep them out of the hands of children.”
Hopkison said it was “unfortunate” that the government had voted down amendments to the health and social care bill two years ago which would have given it powers to regulate the marketing of e-cigarettes to children, and prevent the distribution of free samples to under-18s. He also called for an excise tax on youth vaping to crack down on illegal imports, and a ban of certain branding and point of sale displays.
Source: The Times, 5 November 2023
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