Hansard

I join other members in congratulating Jim Hume on introducing the bill and seeing it through all its processes. I hope to do something similar in the spring, although I am not getting support from the Government in the way that he has done, and of course Government support is critical.

Smoking and, indeed, alcohol, are two of the three big problems in our society, and we are on a journey to a smoke-free society. I was delighted to be associated with Kenny Gibson’s early efforts in that regard in 1999. At that time, the evidence of the dangers of second-hand smoke was much less clear, although, as Jackson Carlaw graphically described in his usual excellent narrative style, the effects were part of common experience, as 70 per cent of people smoked. It took another six years after 1999 for attitudes to change and for the evidence to emerge—with, eventually, the legislation banning smoking in public places being passed.

The bill has widespread public support, as Stewart Maxwell spelled out, even among smokers. Even the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco—FOREST—which is a tobacco industry-sponsored organisation, has said that smoking in cars while children are present should not happen, although it still opposes the bill.

Many other jurisdictions have acted, with good results, and there is likely to be reasonable compliance with the bill—I hope—as there was with the legislation banning smoking in public places. When the attitudes are right, people will follow the legislation fairly readily.

We know that there are about 60,000 individuals who smoke in cars while children are present, so there are a significant number of people who need to change their behaviour. As Malcolm Chisholm reminded us, there is a strong health inequalities element in smoking, and that is also true of smoking in cars.

The details of the background research are probably well known and were rehearsed in the stage 1 discussions and in the evidence that was presented. Canadian research showed that the exposure to smoke from a single cigarette in a stationary car with the windows closed is 11 times higher than in the average bar, as Malcolm Chisholm said. In a moving car, that exposure is still seven times as high as in a bar; opening the window and having the air conditioning on does not make a sufficient difference. The particle levels are still more than 100 times greater than the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s 24-hour standard, and 15 times the hazardous rating. There is no doubt that that is significant.

The consequences for children are undoubtedly bad. As many speakers have said, it is worse for children because of their immature lungs and faster respiratory rates. The levels of cotinine have been found to be much higher in children who experience second-hand smoke in the same situation as adults. Asthma, for example, can easily be exacerbated. The number of asthma admissions dropped significantly after the ban on smoking in public places, and I hope that we will see something similar, if not as great, as a result of this ban.

Only last week, I came across an interesting piece of research from Japan that found that second-hand smoke is strongly associated with dental caries in children. That was not something that I had previously thought of. There is a lot of research on smoke exposure. A review of 18 studies found that it doubles the risk of meningitis and causes problems with DNA; it has been shown to be associated with increased risk of stillbirth, birth defects and cot death; it increases teenage hearing loss and glue ear; and it is associated with worse mental health in relation to hyperactivity and conduct disorders.

Members have referred to the Scottish schools adolescent lifestyle and substance use survey report. I think that it was Stewart Maxwell who said that the numbers are the lowest ever. However, there is a gender reversal that is really worrying and which is also reflected in the adult situation, with rising levels of lung cancer in women.

As I have only four minutes, I will move to the end of my speech. It is an excellent bill, but we need to think now about the next steps. We are using a salami tactic to gradually choke off the tobacco industry—the faster that we do that, the better. Jenny Marra made the welcome suggestion that we need to look at common spaces, such as stairwells and closes, as a method of extending the ban in public places. There is all sorts of legislation abroad that we should consider.