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** 9 September 2020
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** UK
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** North East: Illicit tobacco seized in County Durham (#1)
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** Scotland: Glasgow MSP calls for reintroduction of supermarket alcohol and cigarette levy in a bid to fund services (#2)
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** International
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** Opinion: How Big Tobacco bypasses EU lobbying rules (#3)
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** US Study: Secondhand smoke exposure increases hospital admission rates among children (#4)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Parliamentary questions (#5)
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** UK
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**
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** Thousands of illicit cigarettes were seized in County Durham according to a report due to be presented to councillors next week.

On Wednesday 16 September, Durham County Council’s Cabinet will receive a report setting out enforcement activity undertaken by the authority’s trading standards officers in the financial year 2019/20 and its programme for 2020/21. Trading standards officers work with partners including the Durham Constabulary Harm Reduction Unit, the County Durham Tobacco Alliance and regional tobacco control programme Fresh NE to tackle the illegal supply and misuse of alcohol and tobacco. The report, which says nearly 15,000 illegal cigarettes and 41.5kgs of hand-rolled tobacco was seized last year, will also cover how trading standards work with the harm reduction unit in responding to allegations of underage sales from licensed retail premises.

Councillor Brian Stephens, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and partnerships, said: “Underage sales put at risk our young people whose health and wellbeing is a key priority for us. We are doing everything we can to protect them, and the number of test purchases we have carried out is proof of that. We remain recommitted to continuing our enforcement approach and working with partners to keep residents safe.”

Ailsa Rutter OBE, director of Fresh NE, said: “Local authorities such as Durham County Council play a hugely important role in addressing issues like illegal tobacco and underage sales as part of broader efforts to reduce smoking rates and we welcome this enforcement plan. Nobody wants their kids to start smoking because all tobacco – no matter where it’s bought or sold – will kill at least half of long-term smokers.”

Source: The Northern Echo, 8 September 2020
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** A Glasgow MSP Bob Doris is calling for a tax on big supermarkets selling alcohol and tobacco should be brought back to help fund community youth services. Mr Doris called on the Finance Secretary to re-introduce the tax that was in place for three years from 2012 to 2015. The public health levy raised almost £100m in the three years it was in place.

Mr Doris said that supermarkets have profited during the COVID-19 lockdown. They remained open when other businesses had to close and were able to sell alcohol while pubs and restaurants were closed.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes did not commit to bringing back the tax but said that she would keep the tax-raising measures under review. She highlighted that: “A number of those businesses will currently pay the large business supplement, but I will keep the non-domestic rates system, including all the supplements and reliefs, under regular review to ensure that it supports businesses and communities across Scotland, particularly as we come out of the pandemic.”

Source: Evening Glasgow Times, 8 September 2020
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** International
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** Olivier Hoedeman researcher and campaigner at Brussels-based watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), shares his opinions on how Big Tobacco is circumventing EU lobbying rules.

He highlights that the European Commission is obliged to implement and enforce Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which instructs governments to protect public health policies from the commercial and vested interests of tobacco companies including reducing industry contact to a minimum as well as securing full transparency of any such contacts.

However, research by the Observatory has shown that: “Only the commission’s health department (DG SANTE) implements and enforces Article 5.3 while other commission departments (DGs) are failing to protect decision-makers from, undue influence of the tobacco industry.” Documents obtained from freedom of information requests show that the commission’s taxation and trade departments have held numerous meetings with industry officials in recent years and are open to industry influence.

Hoedeman calls on the commission to enforce the requirements of Article 5.3 keeping the tobacco industry away from influencing EU legislation which is fundamental to the integrity and success of the commission’s ambitious ‘EU4Health Programme’ and Europe’s ‘Beating Cancer Plan.’

Source: EU Observer, 7 September 2020
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** According to a new study by University of Cincinnati researchers, children who are exposed to tobacco smoke have higher rates of hospital admissions after visiting emergency departments or urgent care facilities. The researchers compared 380 children exposed to tobacco smoke with 1,140 children not exposed, matching the children with age, sex, race, and ethnicity.

Findings from the study show that children exposed to tobacco smoke were 24 times more likely to be admitted to the hospital than unexposed children, which researchers say highlights the possibility of tobacco smoke contributing to illness severity. Among asthmatics, children exposed to tobacco smoke were 27 times more likely to receive steroids during their emergency department visit. They were over 15 times more likely to receive albuterol – an inhaler used to treat asthma attacks. The researchers also point out that socioeconomic status was a factor in a child's likelihood of exposure.

Ashley Merianos, the research lead says despite the health implications of tobacco smoke exposure on children, most emergency departments do not routinely screen for tobacco smoke exposure or provide tobacco cessation counselling services or resources to families. She highlighted that doing so would be to their benefit, as well as that of the children and families they serve.

Source: Medical Xpress, 8 September 2020

See also: Pediatric Research - Child tobacco smoke exposure and healthcare resource utilization patterns ([link removed])

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** Parliamentary Activity
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**
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**
PQ1: Tobacco: Smuggling – Treasury

Asked by Andrew Gwynne, Denton and Reddish

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing fines for shops selling illegal tobacco products.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

The Government recognises that civil penalties could be strengthened and announced at March Budget that it intended to consult on new sanctions for businesses trading in illicit tobacco products. HMRC intend to launch that consultation later this year.

Source: Hansard, 7 September 2020

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PQ2: Obesity and Smoking - DHSC

Asked by Alex Sobel, Leeds North West

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuation of work relating to (a) obesity and (b) smoking after the dismantling of Public Health England.

Answered by Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care

Alongside work to establish the National Institute for Health Protection, the Government will continue to focus on health improvement and preventing ill-health with support from the expert teams currently located in Public Health England (PHE), who will continue with their excellent work. We do not envisage any changes to where those responsibilities will sit before spring 2021.

We will be engaging with an external stakeholder advisory group to develop options on where PHE’s health improvement functions would be best placed in order to support the public health system and improve the public’s health.

Source: Hansard, 8 September 2020

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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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