Lord Howard of Rising

Legal professional privilege was waived to the extent necessary to allow publication of Lord Pannick’s legal opinion on 2 September 2022. As set out in HL354, given the exceptional circumstances, the Government at the time determined it was in the public interest for Lord Pannick’s legal opinion to be published. It remains the case that the Government does not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received. This is in line with the long-standing policy under successive administrations.

The government’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 remain unchanged. Every request made under the Act is considered on a case by case basis.

Notwithstanding that in the exceptional circumstances the Government at the time determined it was in the public interest for Lord Pannick’s legal opinion to be published, it remains the case that the Government does not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received. This is in line with the long-standing policy under successive administrations.

Notwithstanding that in the exceptional circumstances the Government at the time determined it was in the public interest for Lord Pannick’s legal opinion to be published, it remains the case that the Government does not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received. This is in line with the long-standing policy under successive administrations.

Combustible tobacco products, such as cigarettes and rolling tobacco, are responsible for 448,030 hospital admissions and approximately 64,000 deaths a year. Users of non-combustible tobacco products, such as traditional chewing tobacco, can be exposed to similar or even higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

As all tobacco products are harmful to health, it remains the Government’s policy to support people to quit all forms of tobacco use. We encourage all tobacco users to quit through safer alternatives such as nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes and local stop smoking services.

Smoking remains the single largest cause of preventable deaths – and it is estimated that two out of three lifelong smokers will die from smoking. In 2019/20, smoking was responsible for 448,030 hospital admissions, and roughly 64,000 deaths a year between 2017 and 2019.

Although vaping is not risk free, the evidence is increasingly clear that UK regulated e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than smoking tobacco. E-cigarettes are an effective tool in helping smokers to quit, especially when combined with support from local Stop Smoking Services.

The Home Office does not advise forces on the recruitment of police staff or how they are best deployed. This is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables and democratically accountable Police and Crime Commissioners who are best placed to make decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. The College of Policing, as the professional body for policing in England and Wales, provides general guidance to forces on attraction and recruitment. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published its first Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategy in October 2018. This is complemented by a workforce representation toolkit which includes practical actions forces can take to increase the recruitment, retention and progression of officers from under-represented groups in policing. Discussions in the National Policing Board during last year, chaired by the Home Secretary, have focused the minds of police leaders on representation in policing. The NPCC has committed to leading further work in this area, alongside the College of Policing, to increase accountability for diversity and inclusion initiatives.