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Public health grant allocations published
The public health grant allocations for local authorities in England will rise by 3.3% for 2023-24, the government announced yesterday afternoon.
In a written ministerial statement, Neil O'Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, revealed that this year's public health grant will by £3.529bn.
The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) also revealed indicative allocations for 2024-25, based on a further 1.3% cash uplift which would take 2024-25 funding to £3.575bn.
The grant is paid to local authorities from the DHSC budget and this year's announcement is much later in the year than previously. Last year details were published in early February and the sector has been lobbying the government about delays this year.
Mr O'Brien said the allocations are part of a "wider package of investment in public health services".
This includes additional targeted investment of up to 2025 of £516m for local authorities to improve drug and alcohol addiction treatment and £170m to improve the start for life services available to families with the majority allocated to 75 local authority areas as part of the joint Department for Education and DHSC £300m family hubs and start for life programme.
Source: LGC, 14 March 2023
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Baroness Masham, longest -serving female member of the House of Lords, dies aged 87
Baroness Masham, a Paralympian and the longest ever serving female member of the House of Lords, has died aged 87, the charity she founded has said.
The independent crossbencher, whose name was Susan Lilian Primrose Cunliffe-Lister, was made a life peer in 1970 and was a passionate campaigner on disability rights.
Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), which was founded by Lady Masham in 1974, said on its website: “We are extremely sad to announce that our founder and lifelong president, Lady Sue Masham of Ilton, passed away peacefully at Northallerton hospital on Sunday 12 March.
It goes without saying that everybody at the Spinal Injuries Association is devastated to have lost our greatest champion. 49 years ago, in 1974, she founded SIA and is the reason we have been able to champion, fight, serve and support thousands of spinal cord injured people ever since. Our condolences go to her family at this sad time.”
The Paralympics GB website describes her as “one of Great Britain’s first ever Paralympic medallists” and a “pioneering athlete”.
Source: The Guardian, 14 March 2023
Editorial note: Baroness Masham was a longstanding campaigner on tobacco control and a member of the APPG on Smoking and Health.
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Putting vapes in plain packaging ‘reduces their appeal to children’
Putting vapes in plain packaging reduces their appeal to children and could even stop them taking up vaping in the first place, a major new study has found.
Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and ASH, with funding from Cancer Research UK, discovered that removing bright colours, pictures and fancy lettering from packaging made youngsters less likely to be attracted to vaping, but did not deter adults who wanted to use vapes to quit cigarettes.
It is the first major study of its kind looking at how vaping packaging appeals to youngsters.
In the new study, researchers randomly assigned 2,469 children and teenagers aged 11 to 18 (54% of whom were aged 11 to 15), plus 12,026 adults aged 18 and over, to view a set of three vape products from one of three packaging conditions. The first was fully branded packs, the second was plain white packaging with brand name, and the third was plain green packaging with brand name.
Those in the study were then asked which of the products would be of most interest to try.
Published in the JAMA Network Open, the study found that children and teenagers were more likely to report that their peers would have no interest in vapes when sold in the plain green or white packaging.
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive at ASH, said: “This research shows that it’s possible to make vape packaging less attractive to children, without undermining the appeal of e-cigarettes to adult smokers trying to quit.
The Government should take note and commit to implementing standardised packaging for vapes and vaping products without delay.”
Source: Independent, 14 March 2023
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Oman adopts plain packaging for tobacco products
Oman has become the second country in Western Asia to adopt plain packaging for tobacco products.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) has issued a decision on Omani Standard Specification (OS 1655:2022) on plain packaging of tobacco products, and deemed it a binding Omani standard specification.
The move has been appreciated by the World Health Organization (WHO) office for the Eastern Mediterranean, describing Oman’s action as ‘significant and pioneering’.
It added that the step is consistent with the obligations of the states that are party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, an international treaty that sets out numerous obligations aimed to reduce the global burden of tobacco use.
The move is also consistent with the sultanate’s plans to meet 30% reduction in tobacco consumption by 2025.
Source: Muscat Daily, 11 March 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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