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** 12 October 2020
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** UK
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** Record number of smokers quit during the coronavirus lockdown (#1)
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** Goods in the UK Internal Market: A closer look at the exception clauses (#2)
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** Overstretched health visitors caring for up to 2,400 families each (#3)
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** West Midlands: Economic cost of smoking revealed (#4)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Parliamentary Questions (#5)
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** UK
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** Smoking rates in England have fallen dramatically since the smoking ban 13 years ago. Data from the UCL Smoking Toolkit Study, which regularly surveys households in the country, shows more than 643,000 smokers in England quit in the past year to August compared with 307,000 the previous year.

The proportion of smokers stopping in the past year is 8.5%, almost twice the rate of 4.3% in 2019, and higher than the 6.7% rate in 2007, the year the smoking ban in enclosed public places began. Nearly one in four of those trying to quit did so. Overall, 23.2% of those aiming to stop smoking were successful compared with 14.2% in 2019.

Hazel Cheeseman, director of policy at Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said “The figures are phenomenal. This is a substantial increase, which seems likely to be driven by the pandemic. The disruption to daily routines caused by social distancing and stay-at-home restrictions may have reduced or eliminated smoking or drinking cues, making it easier to change behaviour.”

She went to say, “Homeworking may have encouraged smokers who are unwilling to light up in front of children or vulnerable family, while the cost of smoking may have been “a big driver of behaviour” at a time of financial turmoil.”

Source: The Times, 11 October 2020
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** Peter Oliver, visiting Professor from Université Libre de Bruxelles, has written a blog piece where he examines the exception clauses to the rules on the free movement of goods in the Internal Market Bill.

The blog highlights that the Bill lacks reference to other crucial matters of public interest, including consumer protection and environmental protection. He points out that public safety or general security are not guaranteed except concerning indirect discrimination under clause 8.

The blog also discusses how tobacco control measures, adequate supply of medicines or medical supplies are not extensively covered in the absence of a public health emergency in the Bill apart from clause 8.

In conclusion, Oliver says: “The very limited and piecemeal nature of the public health exceptions is a matter of particularly grave concern since the protection of human life and health is undoubtedly the most important public interest of all. A general public health exception covering the whole gamut of restrictions on market access is essential.”

Source: EU Relations Law, 12 October 2020

See also: United Kingdom Internal Bill Market ([link removed])
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**
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** Overstretched health visitors have been forced to care for up to 2,400 families with newborns at a time, 10 times the recommended number, according to the sector’s most senior figure.

Cheryll Adams, the chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “In the last five years we have seen the number of health visitors cut by 30%, then during the pandemic, as many as 50% of staff were redeployed in some areas. That was devastating for families and for health visitors who were put under immense pressure.”

The lack of support for new mothers also risks exacerbating a long-term decline in breastfeeding rates in the UK, which are already among the lowest in the world, experts warned.

Mary Renfrew, professor of mother and infant health at the University of Dundee, urged policymakers to recognise that maternity care could not be “put on pause for any reason.” She went on to say, “taking resources away from maternity care doesn’t make sense because we know that will create long-term harm.”

Source: The Guardian, 4 October 2020

Editorial note

At this time of uncertainty articles are being included in Daily News if they cover issues likely to have an impact on tobacco control or smoking cessation even if they are not specifically mentioned.
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**

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** More than 25,000 smokers over 21 are economically inactive each year in the West Midlands, forfeiting over £534 million in lost earnings, according to an analysis by Landman Economics for health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). The research says people in West Midlands are losing out on a massive £1.1 billion a year.

The unemployment level appears to be driven primarily by disability caused by smoking-related illness. Disabled smokers are around 12.5% less likely to be in work than disabled non-smokers. Working smokers have weekly earnings that are on average, 6.8% lower than non-smokers, equivalent to £1,424 less per smoker.

ASH is submitting the research to the government to show how its ambition to end smoking also has a crucial role to play in delivering the “levelling up” agenda, particularly in the poorest, most disadvantaged communities where smoking rates are highest.

Source: Dudley News,11 October 2020

See also: ASH Press Release - New research finds smokers more likely than non-smokers to be without work ([link removed])

ASH Report - Smoking, employability, and earnings ([link removed] )
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** Parliamenatry Activity
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**
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** PQ 1-3: Smoking – DHSC (Grouped questions)

1. Asked by Dan Jarvis Labour, Barnsley Central

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made on its ambition of a smokefree England in 2030.

2. Asked by Dan Jarvis Labour, Barnsley Central

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government plans to provide to (a) regional and (b) local government in England to help deliver the Government’s smokefree 2030 policy objective.

3. Asked by Dan Jarvis Labour, Barnsley Central

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a levy on tobacco industry profits to achieve the Government’s objective for a smokefree England in 2030.

Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

Smoking rates are the lowest on record at 13.9% for England and we are not complacent. We laid out our ambition to make England smokefree by 2030 in our Prevention Green Paper, ‘Advancing Our Health: Prevention in the 2020s’ consultation last year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the response to this consultation has been put on hold.

The response and plans for achieving our smokefree objectives will be published at a later date.
Decisions on the future funding of local government health improvement functions will be taken as part of the Spending Review.

The Department has not made an assessment of introducing a levy on tobacco industry profits. However, HM Treasury has previously carried out a consultation and published its response in September 2015. It is available at the following link:
[link removed] ([link removed])

Source: Hansard, 9 October 2020
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For more information call 020 7404 0242, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk

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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