Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to reduce inequalities in health outcomes caused by higher rates of smoking among lower socioeconomic groups.

As smoking rates in England continue to decline, tobacco use is increasingly concentrated in our poorest and most disadvantaged communities.

Local stop smoking services provided by local authorities are effective in reducing health inequalities where they are targeted to meet identified needs. Public Health England (PHE) supports local areas with a range of evidence, data and tools to facilitate targeted and effective interventions recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and have a programme of work focussed on reducing smoking in pregnancy and in mental health settings.

In 2017/18, PHE will run the Stoptober and January smoking health harms mass media campaigns, targeted to reach people in lower socioeconomic groups.

A national Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme incentivises National Health Service trusts in England to identify inpatients that smoke and provide them with treatment and a referral for support with quitting.