Jim Dickson MP: speeches

Speeches

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  Certainly, public spaces are not going to change, but smoking prevalence is; it may be that as, a result of declines in smoking prevalence, the public acceptance of smoke-free areas may change. I am sure that the Minister will have a useful contribution to make in response to the hon. Gentleman’s point when he speaks. There is a discussion to be had. I would be particularly interested to look at the data and modelling and the customer feedback that suggests that hospitality venues are economically dependent on the consumption of tobacco. As we have discussed, currently only 11% of the population smoke—granted, if we are talking about nightlife, that prevalence may be higher, but I certainly believe that families should be able to enjoy eating outside in the summer without being exposed to the risk of second-hand smoke. We have seen that smoke-free pavement licences are popular with businesses and with the public, particularly families with children. Giving local authorities a say in how smoke-free laws are applied will align with the commitment in the recent English Devolution White Paper to shift any power “away from Whitehall and into the hands of those who know their communities best”. It is critical that local authorities consult fully on any measures, and particularly closely with the hospitality industry. As I say, there is a possibility that that industry, in specific parts of local authorities where the consultation takes place, may actually agree and feel that this is a sensible step. It is important that local authorities get this right with the right consultation, but they should have the powers to do it.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way. He is making a number of very good points, but will he respond to the notion that smoke-free areas are all about making smoking less attractive and so giving people incentives to quit? Does he accept that that might give people incentives to quit and therefore be a significant public health benefit, and worth considering as part of the legislation?

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move amendmentusb 11, in clause 136, page 77, line 8, after “regulations” insert “and a local authority may (as respects its area) make byelaws”. This amendment would extend the power to designate areas as smoke-free to certain local authorities, by making byelaws. Any byelaws so made would need to be confirmed by the Secretary of State by virtue of section 236 of the Local Government Act 1972.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for those comments; I will do my best to answer them. Compliance with the measure is still not where we would like it to be: the last survey undertaken by an independent company on behalf of Action on Smoking and Health indicates that 9% of 11 to 15-year-olds say that “they travel in a car with someone smoking some days, most days or every day in 2024.” The current law also does not protect those with clinical vulnerabilities. The smoke-free powers in this Bill are driven by a desire to protect people with clinical vulnerabilities from second-hand smoke. That includes pregnant women and those with asthma and lung conditions, among others. No smoker wants to harm their family, friends, pets or co-workers, so no smoker should smoke in an enclosed vehicle. The evidence is clear: concentrations of smoke in vehicles where someone is smoking are greater than in any other small, enclosed space. If we are to be led by the evidence when extending smoke-free places, we have to consider vehicles. That would provide consistency in policy and raise awareness of the harms of second-hand smoke even further than they currently extend. It would be easier to enforce than the current law, where we have to check who else is in the vehicle, and would make the regulations on vehicles simpler and easier to understand—“It’s a straightforward ban; you can’t do it.” Finally, it is worth pointing out that it is supported by the public, with 67% of British adults saying they are in favour of an outright ban on smoking in vehicles.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  That is indeed a good question. Consistency is clearly desirable: it is easier for the public to understand and it makes enforcement easier. However, there are councils already leading the way in that area, and it is a question of the needs of the community covered by that local authority. We know that smoking is particularly concentrated in deprived communities. Local authorities are able to understand what areas are most at risk, work with those communities and arrive at solutions hand in hand with them. We know that public spaces facilitate quit attempts, so it is a great way to do this in areas where the communities consent to that approach. I still advocate the measure as a good way forward. Obviously I would have liked to have seen outdoor hospitality settings included in the consultation for smoke-free extensions to this Bill; however, I know that many Members at the Second Reading expressed relief that that is not in scope for England. Other Members have sought to put the areas identified by the Government on the face of the Bill to rule this out in future, but I disagree with that approach, because we need flexibility.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  The Minister has given a very comprehensive response. I suspect that the suggestion that this might be a way forward might come up in the consultation when that happens in the coming months. For the moment, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Pritchard. Amendments 11 to 14 are intended to extend the power to local authorities in England to designate areas as smoke-free by making byelaws. Any byelaws would need to be confirmed by the Secretary of State, by virtue of section 236 of the Local Government Act 1972.What the amendments seek to do is to bring the power to extend smoke-free places to a local level, as there are already a number of local authorities that have had success with that approach. As we know, local authorities are responsible for public health and know their communities well. Eleven councils have introduced 100% smoke-free conditions in pavement seating, including in thriving cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. There are many more areas where that approach could have benefits: for instance, in my Dartford constituency, we have a high street with an area where an excellent market takes place every Thursday and Saturday. It is an area not covered by smoke-free legislation, but one that in my view could greatly benefit from smoke-free areas.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Thirteenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  The police currently have responsibility to enforce a whole range of activities that take place within a car, such as mobile phone use. It would in no way be a new concept for the police to enforce something of this nature. If they saw someone in a car with a cigarette, they would be able to stop the car and apply a penalty as they currently do with other types of behaviour within cars.

• 23 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Twelfth sitting) · Hansard source

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  We are straying from the point a little, but is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Premier League will shortly initiate a shirt front ban on gambling sponsors? His examples of free advertising and sponsorship of gambling will probably be out of date soon.

• 23 Jan 2025 · Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs: OBR Costing · Hansard source

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  rose—

• 21 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  Of course, occasionally there would be outlets for which the data is less useful, but if we looked at outlets in deprived areas—shops on estates, for example—and saw an uptick in a particular type of product being bought in the area, I think we could make a reasonable assumption that those products were being consumed pretty close to the place of purchase, and that would tell us something about trends in product use. That might tell us something very useful for public health purposes, if we were trying to promote smoking cessation or a decline in the use of particular products in the area.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive response. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 96 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clauses 97 and 98 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Ordered, That further consideration be now adjourned. — (Taiwo Owatemi.)

• 21 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. Amendments 6 to 9 stand in my name and I will endeavour to speak to them quickly in the light of the discussion we have just had. The amendments would require the Secretary of State to make regulations that, in turn, require the producers of tobacco products and other related products to provide sales data by geographical area, and require the publication of such data. Tobacco companies collect rich data on the sales of their products, which is used for commercial purposes. Many times in Committee, we have heard how smoking is now spread unequally across our communities, with people in deprived areas being far more likely to smoke. Data is collected by companies on their sales and distribution, and could be put to better use to inform public health responses. In my case, as cabinet member for health in a London borough, I know my director of public health would have found that data incredibly useful to shape local policy. Such data could also help researchers get better insights into tactics used by the industry to subvert price policies, thereby informing tax policy in the area and consultations on a “polluter pays” levy, which the Committee will be considering with new clause 2. The data would enable local authorities to get better insights into what is happening with sales in their area and to identify possible upticks in illicit tobacco use. There may be National Trading Standards’ uses for such data to support enforcement activity and improve the intelligence that local authorities have available to assess local problems with illicit sales. We know that manufacturers change their sales tactics regularly. In a written submission to the Committee, Action on Smoking and Health provided an example of how access to the data could aid policy. It states in its submission that it has recently identified that cigarillos—small cigars— “are increasing in use among young people. With timely access to industry sales data public health agencies and researchers could have identified this trend far more quickly” and acted to do something about it. It continues: “These products have fewer restrictions on them than other tobacco products, something that will be addressed” by the Bill, “but lack of knowledge has inhibited swift public health response.” A lot of this data is shrouded in secrecy, and I hope that the Committee agrees that requiring the industry to make it public could support public health endeavours. I am sure that Philip Morris International, which submitted evidence to us, would agree that the company is committed to delivering a smoke-free future. This is one way the industry could help, but the Government should require it to do so.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I beg to move amendment 6, in clause 96, page 54, line 24, leave out “may” insert “must within six month of the passing of this Act”.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I can deal with that very quickly. We would be looking for the companies to publish the data they collect, broken down geographically, and to give us an idea of the volume of their sales, including of particular products. That is all information they hold already; we are merely suggesting that the Government should require them to publish it in that form, which would be particularly useful to public health professionals and, we think, for trading standards enforcement.

• 21 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Tenth sitting) · Hansard source

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  The data will be available publicly to anyone who wishes to look at the information. The companies may feel that that is a competition issue and try to make that case, but publishing the information for everyone to use, particularly public health authorities and trading standards, will be helpful in contributing to our objective of a smoke-free generation by supporting cessation efforts and enabling public health to shape policy around trends in the tobacco industry.

• 20 Jan 2025 · Obesity: Food and Diet · Hansard source

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  I, too, thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) for securing this really important debate, and for his thoughtful and incredibly insightful speech on one of the biggest health challenges that our country faces, as many Members have said. After a week’s delay, I am glad that we are now able to have this debate, and it has been great to see how much consensus there is across the House on the need to act. As we set out in our manifesto, and as the consultation on the 10-year plan for the NHS says, we must move towards having a much sharper focus on the prevention of ill health for the sake of the long-term viability of our NHS. As other Members have said, there is a huge crisis, with growing levels of obesity putting the nation’s health at risk. In my constituency, nearly 15,000 Dartford residents meet the definition of obese. Such statistics denote immense health inequalities, with those on low incomes far more likely to be obese, as other Members have pointed out. There are plenty of reasons why we must take action in this area. We spend £6.5 billion annually on treating obesity-related ill health, and around £10 billion a year on diabetes, with the number of type 2 diabetes diagnoses doubling over the last 15 years. Aside from the financial cost, we should surely wish for people to live longer, healthier lives. This month I am privileged to be spending my Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Public Bill Committee for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that we will go through line by line. Among other measures, it will prevent anyone born after 1 January 2009 from purchasing tobacco. I am very pleased to see in this Chamber a number of colleagues who are also on that journey with me, including the Minister and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson). The arguments that we hear against obesity interventions today are the same ones that we heard about restricting smoking in days gone by: that it is “nanny state”, that regulatory approaches do not work, that the public will not stand for it, and that it makes things more expensive, which impacts on those who can least afford it. One of the greatest public health legacies of the last Labour Government are their interventions on smoking. Smoking was to the last Labour Government what obesity can be to the current one. Obesity currently places a staggering burden on the NHS and the wider economy, but it will be one of the great legacies of this Government if we can turn things around and make our country healthier. Solutions are urgently needed. I very much welcome the Government’s plans to review the sugar tax and to consider extending it to milk-based drinks. As many Members have said, however, we need to go so much further, including by taxing foods that are high in salt, fat and sugar, as recommended by the House of Lords inquiry. Manufacturers reformulated their products in the face of the soft drinks industry levy, and I see no reason why that cannot happen with a well-designed levy on foods high in fat, salt and sugar. I very much welcome the Government’s commitment to banning advertisements for junk food aimed at children and the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s, and I look forward to working with Members of different parties to tackle this crisis. In my time in local government, I have seen how supporting less well-off families to replace unhealthy foods in their diet with fresh fruit and vegetables—such as through the programme run by the Alexandra Rose Trust, which others have mentioned tonight—has had a transformative impact on families’ physical and mental health. I urge the Government to fund voucher schemes, introduce food ambassadors to improve cooking skills, and encourage food growing as part of the solution. As we are in Veganuary, I commend the work to increase the level of plant-based food in people’s diets. I hasten to add that I am not a vegan myself, although I do aspire to eat more healthily. Veganuary and vegan diets are good for our health and good for the planet. That could be part of the solution, and I urge the Minister and others, particularly those in local government, to consider it too.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Seventh sitting) · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister very much for his birthday felicitations. There is nowhere I would rather be than here.

• 16 Jan 2025 · Community Spaces · Hansard source

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  I thank the Minister for her reply. Swanscombe pavilion in my constituency is at the heart of the Swanscombe community. It hosted dedicated lunch clubs for older people, provided a hub for local sports teams, and was a venue that local people could hire for parties. The building has fallen into disrepair, and the town council is searching desperately for the funds to rebuild or refurbish it, having been unable to obtain funding from the youth investment fund or the community ownership fund. What guidance could the Minister offer on bringing this crucial building back into community use?

• 16 Jan 2025 · Community Spaces · Hansard source

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  2. What assessment she has made of the contribution of community spaces to civil society.

• 15 Jan 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q6. Patients in Kent are experiencing a winter crisis as a result of years of under-investment in our NHS. Many are having to be treated on trollies in corridors for cases of winter flu and other viruses, creating a significant challenge for local health services. What assurance can the Prime Minister offer residents in Dartford that the reforms and extra investment set out by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will make that inadequate care a thing of the past, and will he visit Darent Valley hospital in Dartford with me?

• 14 Jan 2025 · Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Sixth sitting) · Hansard source

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  I applaud the hon. Lady for her admirable history lesson on the background of vaping. Can I ask how it is relevant to what we are discussing in terms of the penalties and the sale of products?

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. The capital funding will be of immense help to a wide variety of hospices in ensuring that they can upgrade their operation so that they are less reliant on revenue funding from the charity sector and from the NHS. We need a sustainable funding model, and I know the Minister will come back on that at the end of the debate. Finally, let us wish Hospice UK, individual hospices, and our NHS every success with their amazing care for all who need their services, and hope that they will be able to find a sustainable financial future as a result of the Government’s work.

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Mr Kohler) for securing this debate and for his excellent and moving opening speech. Hospices across the country care for hundreds of thousands of people living with conditions that limit their lives or mean they face their lives coming to an end. I wish to put on record my thanks to two hospices that provide crucial services for people in my area. Ellenor is a specialist palliative care provider for adults and children based in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Gravesham (Dr Sullivan). Since 1985 it has been providing hospice care for those who need it most, and it recently opened a new wellbeing centre, which is a hugely welcome addition to its facilities. I also pay tribute to Demelza, which has children’s hospices in the constituencies of my hon. Friends the Members for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Kevin McKenna) and for Eltham and Chislehurst (Clive Efford). Demelza supports families who are going through what I can only imagine are some of the most difficult circumstances I can possibly think of, where children are facing serious or life-limiting conditions. Given the importance of such services, I understand the high degree of concern from the sector before the Government’s announcement of further funding last month, with the NHS England children’s hospice grant not having been confirmed at that point for 2024-25. I therefore join hon. Members who have welcomed the 19 December announcement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of £100 million in funding improvements for hospices, such as updated IT and improved facilities for patients and visitors. I also very much welcome the news that hospices for children and young people will receive £26 million in revenue funding for the next financial year. Hospice UK has welcomed that funding, saying that it will “bring clarity to critically important services for children with life-limiting illnesses.”

• 13 Jan 2025 · Hospice and Palliative Care · Hansard source

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  The hon. Member seems to welcome the additional £100 million for the hospice sector and, indeed, the additional investment in the NHS that have come out of the Budget, but he seems not to welcome the way in which that revenue is being raised. How would his party raise the revenue needed for the NHS and the hospice sector?