Health Committee, 29 Nov 2005

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Official Report 228KB pdf

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Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Premises (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (draft)

We move to item 6, which concerns the draft Prohibition of Smoking in Certain Premises (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The regulations will be laid before the Parliament in December. We discussed the contents of the draft regulations at our last meeting. We now have a letter from the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, including follow-up information, about the basis for the decision to include private vehicles in the list of exemptions. Does the committee want to write to the minister to recommend any changes to the draft regulations?

I am not happy about the response concerning smoking in vehicles. It does not address the concerns that I and other committee members had about vehicles that are used to convey children and very vulnerable people. The last part of the letter states:

"best practice suggests that private vehicles being used to convey passengers on work-related activity, whether by staff or volunteers, should be smoke-free."

That does not really mean anything.

We can tell the health minister that some members are unhappy that he has not addressed that key point.

Are there any final comments? I ask members not to repeat things. Obviously, we are approaching the point at which the regulations will be considered in the chamber.

I will not repeat anything, but I would just like to mention smoking in cars. I was shocked, because a car can be saturated with smoke—

Okay; I shall have to stop you. Does anyone else wish to say anything? No.

That ends the public part of the meeting.

Meeting continued in private until 16:16.