Range of views on proposed smoking ban in the North, says Little-Pengelly

Wed, 17 Apr, 2024 - 16:20

Rebecca Black, PA

There are a “range of views” on a proposed smoking ban in the North, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has said.

DUP MPs at Westminster voted against proposals to ban young people from ever being able to legally smoke tobacco, while Alliance MP Stephen Farry supported it.

Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill has described it as a “good policy to create a smoke-free generation”.

“We know the dangers of smoking, we know how detrimental it is to our health service … this can only be a good thing, particularly for the younger people and going forward into the future generations,” she said.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after January 1st, 2009, with the aim of creating a “smoke-free” generation.

Ms Little-Pengelly said the Executive and Assembly will take a look at the proposals through a legislative consent motion (LCM).

“There will be a range of views on the smoking and vaping ban, particularly in terms of a clause by clause analysis of that,” she told media in Belfast on Wednesday.

“What the Executive agreed is that legislation should be subject to an LCM to give the Assembly the opportunity to take at look at that.

“When we agreed the LCM, we didn’t see all of those clauses in it, and we want to facilitate the Assembly having the opportunity to examine that, and I understand that the Health Committee will be looking at that issue, not just this week, but presumably as the Bill evolves through the mechanisms and procedures of Westminster, including the House of Lords.

“This is a key health issue. The Bill needs to be the right actions in terms of dealing with these issues, but of course we have to have that scrutiny.

“The Bill may well be subject to a range of further amendments, so of course the agreement to the LCM is in principle facilitating our potential extension to Northern Ireland to that Bill, but we of course need to look at the clauses within that. We will have to examine it very carefully.”