I express support from these Benches for the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, which he put very cogently. Pavement licences were introduced in the pandemic but have become a feature of our high streets, so we must make sure that approaches are inclusive, addressing the needs of those with disabilities or those, for example, with children in pushchairs.
I put my name to Amendment 258 and I am pleased to be speaking in support of it. It is led by the noble Lord, Lord Young of Cookham, who made the usual very strong case. It is disappointing to see that the Government have not taken the opportunity presented by the Bill to make all pavement licences smoke-free, as recommended—as we have just heard—in last year’s Khan review of tobacco policies. This is despite the clear majority of adults in England supporting a smoking ban in outdoor seating areas of restaurants, pubs and cafés. In areas such as Manchester, where 100% smoke-free pavement licences have been implemented, they have had great success and have been very popular among businesses and those using these facilities.
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The public health case for this policy is extremely clear; there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke. As the noble Lord, Lord Young, pointed out, the noble Earl was always part of the campaign against tobacco harm, and he is well aware of this. Smoke-free pavement licensing would also help to protect hospitality workers. The smoking ban of 2007 protected workers from indoor exposure to tobacco smoke. The noble Earl—I remember well—helped to put this in place. It is time we took action to protect them from outdoor exposure as well.
In Committee we laid out the case. As I have said before, the outside has now, in effect, become the new inside. Therefore, the rules that apply inside should fully apply outside. It is high time we started to introduce
more spaces where non-smoking is the norm. This measure would represent an important step towards a smoke-free future, which is what the Government theoretically are aspiring to. I urge the Government to accept the amendment. If they do not, I am sure—the noble Earl will know this—this will return in the future.