Welsh government hopes for stronger smoking law

The Welsh government says it hopes the new UK government smoking law will be stronger

The Welsh government says it is hoping plans for new UK government legislation tackling smoking will be strengthened when it is brought back to Parliament.

Labour ministers have committed to bring back Tory proposals for new restrictions, but Sir Keir Starmer says his ministers are looking at going further with tougher rules outdoors.

Reports have suggested smoking could be banned in pub gardens and outdoor restaurants, in a bid to reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco smoke.

Wales has already banned smoking from some outdoor areas, including hospital grounds and public playgrounds, which are being considered for England.

Smoking bans are devolved as a health issue but that does not prevent the UK government from passing its own laws, which the Welsh government can choose to support.

The Welsh government had supported a previous incarnation of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill under the previous Conservative administration, which would have outlawed the sale of tobacco to anyone born in or after January 2009.

It was abandoned in Parliament after the general election was called in the summer.

On Thursday Sir Keir said his government was "going to take decisions in this space" and more details would be revealed.

“I think it’s important to get the balance right," he said, adding that the NHS was "on its knees".

The Conservatives have criticised the proposals as over-regulation, while some hospitality bosses have expressed concerns about the impact a ban could have on the sector.

Smokers lighting up at hospitals, playgrounds or on school sites in Wales face a £100 fine if caught.

It is also illegal to smoke in outdoor areas of day-care and child-minding settings in Wales.

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We have already taken action to restrict smoking in some outdoor public spaces in Wales and we supported the original UK government Tobacco and Vapes Bill when it was laid in Parliament earlier this year.

"We hope to see a strengthened bill reintroduced in the autumn."