The government has announced plans to ban smoking in children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals in England, with some places also becoming vaping banned.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, smoking on the grounds of NHS hospitals is already an offence.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill would also prevent anyone aged 15 or under from buying cigarettes – something the previous government had planned – and give more powers to restrict flavors, presentations and packaging of cigarettes. vapes.

A ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes from next June in England and Wales has already been announced.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the Government was taking “bold action” to create a smoke-free generation, “crack down on children becoming addicted to nicotine through vapes” and protect vulnerable people from the dangers second-hand cigarette smoke.

Plans include extending the indoor smoking ban to some outdoor locations, such as schools and hospitals, to protect children and the most vulnerable.

But the government has abandoned its plan to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and bars in England.

He said he is also considering banning outdoor vaping in some places.

The proposals will all be open to public debate over the coming months.

Under the bill, stores would have to be licensed to sell tobacco, vaping and nicotine products in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This would mean on-the-spot fines of £200 for retailers selling unregulated products or for people aged under 18.

A registration system for retailers selling these products has been in place in Scotland since 2017.

Smoking puts enormous pressure on the NHS. It kills 80,000 people a year in the UK and is responsible for one in four deaths from cancer.

It also increases the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, asthma and dementia.

The government said smoking also costs the economy £18 billion a year in lost productivity, with smokers a third more likely to miss work due to illness.

Health charities have welcomed the bill, which will be subject to consultation over the next six months.

Action on Smoking and Health said it would help create a country where young people never start smoking.

“It is important to have a debate about how we will protect children and vulnerable people from the harm of second-hand smoke,” said the association’s president, Professor Nick Hopkinson.

He added: “A key next step is for the Government to further outline how it will help the UK’s six million smokers to quit. This will require a properly funded plan, funded by a tax on tobacco companies.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said she welcomed the Government’s commitment to protecting children and vulnerable people from second-hand smoke in schools, playgrounds and hospital grounds .

“We also welcome measures to make vaping less attractive to young people,” she said.

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