Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) has welcomed the passing of the Tobacco and Vaping Act by the House of Lords.
Neil Johnston, Public Affairs and Policy Manager at the charity, commented; “Elements of this Act are the first of their kind in the world and will again see the UK lead the world in the battle against smoking. This is a great day for health promotion.”
The Bill passed through its Commons and Lords procedures at Westminster and now, following Royal Assent, it is an Act of Parliament.
Neil continues; “There are many measures in this Act that will help in the fight against the scourge of tobacco and in the efforts to discourage the use of vapes by young people.”
“The Act means that, come the 1st of January 2027, no one born after 1st January 2009 will be allowed to purchase tobacco. This is a hugely innovative and radical act. The government is to be applauded for passing this crucial piece of legislation.”
“It is fundamentally important that this Bill applies fully to Northern Ireland. We have received assurances from Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, that it will.”
Neil concludes; “The Assembly has voted on this measure and made it clear that it wants it to apply in Northern Ireland. We are delighted that Assembly support was entirely cross party.”
“Fundamentally this is a public health measure and as such Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke supports its introduction. Tobacco is one of the leading causes of preventable death and a major driver of health inequalities. We must do everything we can to protect people from becoming addicted to tobacco.”
