We want to stop young people of the future falling victim to addiction

WHEN Members of Parliament return to Westminster after the Easter Recess, we will have the opportunity to scrutinise a landmark piece of legislation, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which if passed would show that the UK is a world leader in tackling smoking.

Whilst elements of this Bill will tackle the rise in underage vaping, there are also measures which will create a smoke-free generation, particularly as smoking rates in our region remain relatively high.

Thirteen per cent of adults across Derbyshire and 19 per cent of adults in Erewash still smoke.

The impetus behind this legislation is clear. Smoking is the UK’s single biggest preventable killer. It causes 15 different types of cancer and is linked to diabetes as well as dementia. Smoking puts huge pressure on the NHS, with someone admitted to hospital with a smoking-relating condition almost every minute in England, resulting in 400,000 admissions every year.

Statistics recently published by the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) outline that tobacco use in England is estimated to cost £49 billion annually in lost productivity and health and social care costs. The time to act is now. Throughout my time in Parliament and as a Health Minister, I have been urging the Government to act to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking and in doing so creating a smokefree society.

I commend the Prime Minister for listening to my concerns and introducing this groundbreaking Bill.

One of the key reasons that I will be supporting the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is because it will prevent future generations of young people from ever falling victim to a tobacco addiction. Contrary to the tobacco industry rhetoric, smoking is not merely a matter of personal choice but often catches individuals in addiction from a young age. Four in five smokers start before the age of 20 and remain addicted for the rest of their lives. On average it takes 30 attempts to quit smoking, with many never succeeding.

By incrementally raising the age of sale by one year every year, the

Government can eliminate smoking among the under 30s by 2050.

This means that children turning 15 or younger this year will never legally be sold or become addicted to tobacco.

It is also estimated that this measure will avoid up to 115,000 cases of stroke, heart disease and lung cancer by 2075, saving tens of thousands of lives and the health system billions of pounds.

A further argument put forward by tobacco manufacturers is that the cost of smoking to public finances is far less than tobacco tax revenues – this is not the case. Lost productivity, healthcare costs, and social care expenditures paint a stark picture of the true cost of smoking to public finances.

Calculations by ASH estimate that in 2019, lost productivity due to smoking in England cost £14billion, in addition to the £3billion cost to the NHS and social care.

Tobacco excise tax revenues for the whole of the UK in 2019 were under £9bn. It is clear that the financial burden imposed by smoking far outweighs any tax revenues gained from tobacco sales.

This Bill is not about penalising smokers; rather, it is about safeguarding the health and wellbeing of future generations.

By raising the age of sale, bolstering anti-smoking campaigns, and enhancing enforcement measures, the Government is taking decisive steps towards a healthier, smoke-free society.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the single biggest public health intervention in a generation and 66 per cent of adults across Great Britain already support this legislation.

Now is the time for Members of Parliament from across the House of Commons to back this Bill for the sake of our health, the economy and the NHS.

THIS fascinating image shows Derby’s annual Easter Fair, which took place on the Morledge on April 13, 1913.

As well as a packed crowd and busy stalls, the scene is overlooked by shot tower and the colour works, right.

The two landmarks lasted until clearance for the Central Improvement Plan in 1931.

The fair was to move to Bass’s Recreation Ground in later years in the hope it could be as big at Nottingham’s Goose Fair. Sadly, that ambition was never to be realised.

Few could match the drama seen at the 1900 Easter fair though. Under the headline “Exciting Scene in the Morledge”, the Derby Telegraph reported a cow being driven from the fair which took flight at some “unexplained cause” and bolted towards the crowded fairground. The cow banged into a stall that overturned, knocking down a Mr Widdowson and his seven-year-old daughter.

This frightened the animal further and “it continued its mad career” before knocking over a pram containing Chaddesden threeyear-old Frederick Downing.

Moving forward to 1954, we reported on how the character of the town’s fairs had changed over the years.

It wrote of historic occasions: “Revelry sometimes turned into argument and noses were bloodied but generally good humour and common prevailed.

It recalled “More than two centuries ago when Admiral Vernon defeated the Spanish Fleet a blazing ship made of fireworks was the highlight of Derby’s display.”

It then concluded: “Nowadays celebrations follow a quieter pattern – a refreshment tent invariable replaces the roasting ox and ‘bun fights’ but the old spirit of carefree public rejoicing has not been lost.”