Smoking In Cars With Children 'Will Be Banned'

Smoking in cars in which children are travelling will become a criminal offence, but it could be some time before the new law is introduced, Downing Street has said.

Campaigners welcomed the move after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of introducing the ban, giving Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt the power to create a new law.

Coalition MPs were given a free vote on the issue but it split the Government with Home Secretary Theresa May joining forces with Deputy Prime Minister to oppose the move.

David Cameron missed Monday night's vote while visiting flooded areas in the South West, but the Prime Minister supported the proposed law against smoking while children are in the car.

In the end the measure was approved by 376 votes to 107 - a majority of 269.

MPs also voted to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to under-18s, to outlaw the so-called proxy buying of cigarettes by adults on behalf of minors and to allow the Government to introduce plain packaging on tobacco products.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling was one Cabinet minister in the "No" camp, believing any law would be unenforceable.

Speaking on Tuesday morning at Downing Street source said: "Parliament has spoken so it will happen but it will take a bit of time to work out the practicalities. The vote was only last night and it only gives the Secretary of State the power to introduce a ban, so quite a bit of work needs to be done before it happens."

But medical charities welcomed the result.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation , said: "Having campaigned on this issue for many years, we're absolutely delighted that MPs have backed the ban on smoking in cars carrying children.

"This could prove a great leap forward for the health of our nation's children.

"The introduction of a law that would help prevent hundreds of thousands of children from being exposed to second-hand smoke in the car is now within reach."

The British Lung Foundation estimates that in England more than 430,000 children aged 11 to 15 are exposed to second-hand smoke in cars every week.

But Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest , said the policy was neither needed nor practical.

He said: "Legislation will have very little impact because so few adults still smoke in cars carrying children. Those that do will carry on because it will be very difficult to enforce.

"If you believed everything you heard in the House about the threat to children's health it's a miracle anyone who was a child in the Fifties and Sixties, when a large majority of adults smoked, is still alive.

"Government has banned smoking in public places. Now they're going to ban it in a private place. The home will be next."

A ban is already in place in parts of the world including some states in America, Australia, Canada and a few countries in Europe.

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