Health Bill [HL]

Not for the first time, I find myself agreeing with everything that the noble Baroness, Lady Howarth, said. In particular, I endorse her point that this is part of the much wider approach on tobacco control contained in the Bill. It is in no sense a stand-alone or alternative measure. I certainly welcome the noble Earl's determination to do something about young people being able to get hold of cigarettes and this is a way to do that. I must tease him slightly because there is even less research evidence to support the view that this would work than there is for the proposition on point-of-sale display, which we have already spent so much time debating in Committee. If this is part of a comprehensive package which includes banning point-of-sale material and vending machines, plain packaging and the licensing of tobacco, which is the subject of Amendment 106 to be moved by the noble Baroness, Lady O'Cathain, we may be able to do something about the problem of young people and smoking. This is part of the approach. It would be much easier to enforce if the noble Earl would agree that licensing of tobacco retailing should be introduced under the Bill, but it is certainly worth giving it a go.