Meeting of the Parliament 17 December 2015
I have had representations and correspondence about that from members and others. The introduction of such measures is not without its challenges, but we are looking at it. The message of the take it right outside campaign is that people should not just go into the close but should take their cigarette right outside the building, and we can certainly see that that is having an effect.
The Government will continue to progress a number of other measures to contribute to the bill’s aims, so the bill cannot be considered in isolation. As I said earlier, I am happy to report to Parliament on the Government’s progress towards the ambitious targets at any time.
I would like all children to be protected from the harms of second-hand smoke in vehicles as quickly as possible. As I have said previously, raising awareness of the offence will be an important part of ensuring compliance with the law. We have therefore committed to deliver an awareness-raising campaign to make the public aware of the change in the law. We will do that as quickly as we can.
Scotland can be proud that it has proved itself to be a world leader on tobacco control. The bill will play an important part in ensuring that every child in Scotland has the best start in life, and I am pleased that it received strong cross-party support throughout the Parliament’s consideration of it. I thank Jim Hume for his work on it. The Government is very supportive of the bill.
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