Vaping could be banned in cars carrying children, as well as in playgrounds and outside schools, according to government plans to protect youngsters from second-hand smoking and vaping.<\/p>\n
The plans – which are subject to a 12-week public consultation – seek to prevent smoking, vaping and the use of heated tobacco in these settings across England.<\/p>\n
Indoor spaces – where smoking is already banned – would also become vape and heated tobacco-free under the proposals, as would areas outside hospitals.<\/p>\n
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said children and patients should not have to suffer because others choose to smoke.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer and we want to protect children and the sick from harm,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Prevention is better than cure, so this government is taking pressure off the NHS and building a healthier Britain where everyone lives well for longer.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
England’s chief medical officer Prof Sir Chris Whitty listed asthma, poor birth outcomes, several cancers, heart disease and stroke as some of the \u00ab\u00a0significant harmful effects\u00a0\u00bb of second-hand smoking.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0These measures would reduce the harm second-hand smoke causes the most medically vulnerable in our society,\u00a0\u00bb he added.<\/p>\n
The proposals form part of the government’s 10-year health plan to shift the focus from sickness to prevention, as well as reduce the pressures on the NHS.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0The government aims to prevent avoidable harm before it happens and support a healthier generation,\u00a0\u00bb it explained in a statement.<\/p>\n
A public consultation launched on Friday is seeking views on points such as which settings should have a ban implemented, exemptions, and how to inform people of the restrictions.<\/p>\n
The government said findings from the consultation will \u00ab\u00a0help shape future regulations under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill\u00a0\u00bb, which it said will \u00ab\u00a0create a smoke-free generation and protect young people from a lifetime of addiction\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
The bill is currently progressing through parliament, it added.<\/p>\n
Outdoor hospitality venues like pub gardens and wider open spaces such as beaches and private outdoor spaces are not included in the plans.<\/p>\n
People will also be able to continue smoking and vaping in their homes.<\/p>\n
If the ban goes ahead, enforcement would \u00ab\u00a0mirror existing smoke-free laws\u00a0\u00bb, the statement said, adding there will be a minimum of six months between the regulations being made and coming into force.<\/p>\n
The British Heart Foundation’s chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said the research charity strongly supports the consultation and is calling for urgent implementation of the legislation.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Tough measures must be taken to prevent smoking from robbing more families of their loved ones and harming vulnerable people,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
The consultation will run for 12 weeks and will end on 8 May 2026.<\/p>\n
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Vaping could be banned in cars carrying children, as well as in playgrounds and outside schools, according to government plans to protect youngsters from second-hand smoking and vaping. The plans – which are subject to a 12-week public consultation – seek to prevent smoking, vaping and the use of heated tobacco in these settings across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9785\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}