Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reach its smoking cessation targets.

Since the 2017 Tobacco Control Plan was published, overall smoking prevalence has fallen from 15.5% to 13.9%. We have also seen reductions in smoking rates for 15 year olds and amongst pregnant women. This has been achieved through continued investment in stop smoking services, focused local action and support and through the United Kingdom’s strong regulatory framework.

However, we know that smoking remains one of the largest causes of preventable mortality and national progress continues to mask significant health inequalities across England. Our new Tobacco Control Plan, to be published later this year, will outline additional measures to reach the ambition of a smoke free England by 2030.