Plans to ban smoking outside schools and hospitals

The authorities has announced plans to marque it amerciable to fume successful children's playgrounds and extracurricular schools and hospitals successful England, with immoderate places besides becoming vape-free.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is already an offence to fume connected NHS infirmary grounds.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would besides marque it intolerable for anyone presently aged 15 oregon nether to bargain cigarettes - thing the erstwhile authorities had planned - and springiness much powers to restrict vape flavours, displays and packaging.

A prohibition connected the merchantability of single-use disposable vapes from adjacent June successful England and Wales has already been announced.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the authorities was taking "bold action" to make a smoke-free generation, "clamp down connected kids getting hooked connected nicotine done vapes" and support the susceptible from the dangers of second-hand cigaret smoke.

Plans see extending the indoor smoking prohibition to definite outdoor settings, specified arsenic schools and hospitals, to support children and the astir vulnerable.

But the authorities has rowed backmost connected plans to prohibition smoking successful gardens of pubs and bars successful England.

It said it was considering outdoor vaping bans excessively successful immoderate places.

The proposals volition each beryllium unfastened to nationalist statement implicit the coming months.

Under the bill, shops would person to get a licence successful bid to merchantability tobacco, vape and nicotine products successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This would mean on-the-spot fines of £200 for retailers selling unregulated products oregon to radical aged nether 18.

A registration strategy for retailers selling these products has been successful spot successful Scotland since 2017.

Smoking puts immense unit connected the NHS. It kills 80,000 radical a twelvemonth successful the UK and is liable for 1 successful 4 of each deaths from cancer.

It besides increases the hazard of galore illnesses including bosom disease, stroke, benignant 2 diabetes, asthma and dementia.

The authorities said smoking besides outgo the system £18bn a twelvemonth successful mislaid productivity, with smokers a 3rd much apt to beryllium disconnected enactment sick.

Health charities person welcomed the bill, which volition beryllium taxable to consultation for the adjacent six months.

Action connected Smoking and Health said it would assistance make a state wherever young radical would ne'er commencement smoking.

“It is important to person the statement astir however we volition support children and susceptible radical from the harms of second-hand smoke," said the charity's chair, Prof Nick Hopkinson.

He added: "A cardinal adjacent measurement is for the authorities to acceptable retired further however it volition assistance the UK’s six cardinal smokers to quit. This volition necessitate a decently funded plan, paid for by a levy connected baccy companies.”

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, British Heart Foundation main executive, said she welcomed the government's committedness to support children and susceptible radical from second-hand fume successful schools, playgrounds and infirmary grounds.

"We besides invited measures to marque vaping little appealing to young people," she said.