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** 18 December 2024
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** International
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** Labor will exclude tobacco from tax incentives (#3)
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** Smoking to be banned in Belgium next year in some outdoor spaces (#5)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** MPs to scrutinise the state of community mental health services (#2)
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** Written Answers (#4)
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** International
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** Labor will exclude tobacco from tax incentives
Jim Chalmers’ midyear economic update introduced several surprise measures, including a 14.75% rise in temporary graduate visa fees, expected to raise $1.7 billion over five years. The government will also save $107 million by winding up the "innovative places" higher education program and will exclude gambling and tobacco from R&D tax incentives, aiming to reduce harm from these sectors.
Source: The Guardian, 18 December 2024
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** Smoking to be banned in Belgium next year in some outdoor spaces
Belgium will introduce a smoking ban in several public outdoor spaces starting at the end of this year, as part of the "Generation Smoke-free" plan to reduce smoking rates, particularly among young people. Smoking is responsible for 15,000 deaths annually in Belgium, costing €11 billion per year. The new rules, effective from December 31, will prohibit smoking in playgrounds, sports grounds, amusement parks, zoos, and within a ten-metre radius of certain public spaces like schools, hospitals, and childcare centres. Additionally, disposable e-cigarettes will be banned from January 2025, and restrictions on tobacco sales and display in shops will be enforced from April 2025. Fines for violations will range from €208 to €8,000.
Source: The Brussels Times, 17 December 2024
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** Parliamentary activity
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** MPs to scrutinise the state of community mental health services
The Health and Social Care Committee has launched an inquiry to examine the provision of community mental health services for adults with severe mental health needs. The inquiry will focus on patients' experiences with community mental health care, access to services, and the effectiveness of the Community Mental Health Framework since its introduction in 2019. The Committee will also explore how mental health services can work with social care, local government, and the third sector to address broader health and social needs, including housing and employment. It will investigate barriers to access, integration of services, and identify examples of best practices. The Committee is accepting written evidence on these issues until February 4.
Source: UK Parliament, 17 December 2024
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** Written Answers
Answered by Sir Christopher Chope, Conservative, Christchurch
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment of the probability of an increase in youth smoking rates of illegal tobacco products as a result of the implementation of a generational ban on tobacco sales.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Labour, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care), Gorton and Denton
Smoking is still the biggest killer. It claims approximately 80,000 lives a year and puts huge pressure on our National Health Service, and costs taxpayers billions. By creating the first smoke-free generation we are stopping people from ever starting smoking. Our published modelling shows that smoking rates in England for 14 to 30-year-olds could be close to 0% as early as 2050, from an estimated 11.2% in 2023.Evidence shows that when we have introduced targeted tobacco control measures, they have had a positive impact on tackling the problems of illicit tobacco. Consumption of illicit cigarettes has gone from 15 billion cigarettes in 2000/2001 to 1.5 billion cigarettes in 2022/2023.In 2007, the legal age of sale for tobacco products was raised from 16 to 18 years old, which helped reduce youth smoking rates in children aged 11 to 15 years old from 9% in 2005, to less than 1.1% in 2021. This age increase created 1.3 million more people who were no longer able to be sold cigarettes, and who
in theory would be in the market for illicit cigarettes. However, in practice the number of illicit cigarettes consumed fell by 25%, from 10 billion in 2005/06 to 7.5 billion in 2007/08.The Government is investing over £100 million over five years to boost HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force\'s enforcement capability to tackle illicit tobacco, supporting their Illicit Tobacco Strategy. In 2025/26 we will invest £30 million of new funding in total for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards.
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