Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of smoking in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Local authorities are responsible for deciding the services required to meet the needs of their local populations, this includes stop smoking services and campaigns. In 2011 the adult smoking rates in the Newcastle upon Tyne area were 23% and in 2019 at 13%, below the current England average of 13.9%. The local authority is part of the collaboratively funded Fresh North East tobacco control programme, providing additional stop smoking campaigns and service support across the North East.

The Government is committed to making the country Smokefree by 2030 and will publish a new tobacco control plan to support this ambition which will have an even sharper focus on tackling health disparities.