Smoking

(asked on 8th December 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent reductions in funding for smoking cessation services on rates of smoking.


This question was answered on 15th December 2016

The most recent data show that smoking rates among adults and young people are at their lowest ever level. This has been achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, one element of which is the provision of evidence-based stop smoking services. The Government is developing a new tobacco control plan, which will build on previous success and continue to support people to stop smoking.

Councils will receive £16 billion of public health funding across this Parliament. Smoking rates vary considerably across the country and it is right that local councils have the flexibility to consider how best to respond to the unique needs of their local population.

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