Smoking: Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the 4.9 million smokers in Great Britain have equitable access to smoking cessation advice, support and tools to start their quit journey.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
Alongside our Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we remain committed to supporting current smokers to quit.
The Government has invested an additional £70 million in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England to help people quit. We are already seeing the impact this has made, with the first year of additional funding for 2024/25 having resulted in a 23% increase in the number of people supported to quit compared to the previous year.
From April 2026, we will ring-fence all funding for smoking cessation services within the Public Health Grant, meaning at least £153 million, increasing to £155 million in 2028/29, will be protected for these services. The additional funding will ensure there is a comprehensive offer across local authorities in England, with funding weighted toward local authorities with the highest smoking rates. The Better Health Website is also available and contains comprehensive cessation advice to support individuals to find the right approach for them.
In addition, the 10-Year Health Plan for England restated our commitment to integrate opt-out smoking cessation interventions into routine care within all hospitals. As of quarter three of 2025/26, 99% of eligible maternity services and 92% of eligible in-patient services had an opt-out tobacco dependence treatment offer.
As health is a devolved matter, local stop smoking support in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.
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