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<p>Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom,
and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17
billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. Smoking is
an addiction, and there is no liberty in addiction. It causes harm to not only the
smoker, but to society as a whole. That is why we have introduced the Tobacco and
Vapes Bill to create the first smokefree generation, and enable us to further crack
down on youth vaping. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is available at the following link:</p><p><a
href="https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3703" target="_blank">https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3703</a></p><p>The
UK is a party to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,
and under Article 5.3 has an obligation to protect the development of public health
policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. As a world leader in tobacco
control, the Government takes this commitment very seriously. In 2023, the Department
published guidance for Government engagement with the tobacco industry, which is available
at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protocol-for-engagement-with-stakeholders-with-links-to-the-tobacco-industry/guidance-for-government-engagement-with-the-tobacco-industry"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protocol-for-engagement-with-stakeholders-with-links-to-the-tobacco-industry/guidance-for-government-engagement-with-the-tobacco-industry</a></p><p>The
Department regularly publishes correspondence from, or to, those with links to the
tobacco industry, and it is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://khub.net/web/phe-national/public-library/-/document_library/v2WsRK3ZlEig/view/394794557"
target="_blank">https://khub.net/web/phe-national/public-library/-/document_library/v2WsRK3ZlEig/view/394794557</a></p>
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