Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Government plans to publish the results of the consultations on regulations on (a) smoking in cars with children present and (b) standardised packaging of tobacco; and when his Department plans to lay these regulations before the House.

The consultation Smoking in private vehicles carrying children - consultation on proposed regulations to be made under the Children and Families Act 2014 closed on 27 August 2014. We are now considering all responses carefully and will make a decision on the content of the regulations.

A consultation on the introduction of regulations for standardised packaging of tobacco products closed on 7 August 2014. In line with European Union requirements, the draft regulations must be considered under the European Technical Standards Directive at the stage at which substantial amendments can still be made. The draft regulations were notified to the European Commission (EC) on 29 August.

The notification requires a ‘stand still’ period of three months for the EC and other Member States to consider the content of the draft regulations and give us their opinions. If a detailed opinion is provided, the Government is obliged to extend the period to six months. We anticipate that this will be the case. Under European rules, we will not be able to make the regulations until the period has elapsed.

The Government has not yet made a final decision on whether to introduce regulations to require standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Summary reports on both consultations will be published in due course.