Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 01 December 2015
01 Dec 2015 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
There has been a lot of focus on part 1 of the bill, and I make no apology for focusing a lot of my attention on it, too.
It is interesting to hear confessions from colleagues; that puts things into context for me. I take on board what John Mason said about striking a balance between health promotion and choice, but we have a long way to go if we are to achieve our objective of reducing smoking prevalence to 5 per cent or less by 2034. If we are attempting to make Scotland healthier, we need to take measures to do so.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-15003, in the name of Maureen Watt, on the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care) (Scotland) Bill. Membe...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
I call Maureen Watt. You have 14 minutes. You can start as soon as you are ready, Ms Watt. 14:31
The Minister for Public Health (Maureen Watt)
SNP
I am delighted to open the stage 1 debate on the principles of the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care) (Scotland) Bill. I thank the Health and Sport Comm...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
Can the minister give us an indication whether any patients who are smokers have signed themselves out of hospital early because they have been unable to smo...
Maureen Watt
SNP
I am not aware of that happening. If the member has evidence of that happening, I am happy to look into it. Obviously, I hope that patients would discuss the...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister give way?
Maureen Watt
SNP
I have to make progress. If the member wants to ask me a question during her speech, I will happily answer it when I am closing. Key to this will be the org...
Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab)
Lab
At one time there were adverts to promote cigarettes showing Ronald Reagan giving them as Christmas gifts or Superman jumping out of a helicopter, but long g...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I will begin by clarifying a question that I want to ask the minister, just so that she is clear from the outset, as I would very much like an answer in her ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I let the open debate speakers know that, at the moment, I will probably be able to give them all up to seven minutes. 15:04
Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
The Scottish Government bill that we are discussing today makes three very important proposals: the development of policies around tobacco, nicotine and smok...
Maureen Watt
SNP
The member will of course know that, in many cases, the Government’s response does not come out before the stage 1 debate and that the reply to the stage 1 r...
Nanette Milne
Con
I accept the minister’s explanation but, having sat all day yesterday waiting to get the response, I would probably have been better just to ignore the infor...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
In relation to apologies, does the member welcome, as I do, section 23(2), which makes it clear that the offering of an apology, a statement of sorrow or reg...
Nanette Milne
Con
I agree with the member on that. I would be very concerned if that was not stated in the bill. A similar lack of definition is cited by opponents of the pro...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We now move to the open debate. We have a bit of time in hand, so members each have seven minutes or thereby. 15:12
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I am glad to be given the opportunity to speak in today’s debate on the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care) (Scotland) Bill. As members are aware, the bi...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Mr Maxwell quoted Public Health England, which in its review states that smoking prevalence has declined in adults and young people since e-cigarettes were i...
Stewart Maxwell
SNP
I disagree with the comments of my esteemed colleague from Aberdeen. We can see a pattern over the years in how tobacco companies have tried to get new marke...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
We all support the Scottish Government’s ambitious target to reduce smoking prevalence to 5 per cent by 2034, but the simple fact is that we are not making n...
Maureen Watt
SNP
Mr Chisholm will know that, for the NHS to recommend NVPs as a smoking cessation product, they would have to be licensed. E-cigarette companies have not aske...
Malcolm Chisholm
Lab
The committee will look into that issue and the complexities of the process. That certainly needs to be looked at. The need for a register is widely accepte...
Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
SNP
Since becoming an MSP, I have taken a keen interest in reducing the harm that smoking causes. In July 2001, I proposed a regulation of smoking bill, with the...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I am at a loss for words. I call Hanzala Malik, to be followed by Kevin Stewart. 15:34
Hanzala Malik (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer, and good afternoon to you. When speaking in today’s stage 1 debate on the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc and Care) (Scotland) B...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
First, the confession: I was a smoker. I started smoking when I was 14, and not because of advertising or parental influence—my parents did not smoke. There ...
Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD)
LD
We should congratulate all the Health and Sport Committee’s members—and the clerks, of course—for all their hard work on the committee report. We are again l...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the progress that has been made on smoking by the Scottish Parliament, including members here present. When it comes to smoking, we need to strike...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
There has been a lot of focus on part 1 of the bill, and I make no apology for focusing a lot of my attention on it, too. It is interesting to hear confessi...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Are we correct to use the word “choice”? Where addictions are concerned, it is precisely the case that choice is absent because that health issue denies peop...