Labour MP Tracy Brabin will today propose a Ten Minute Rule Bill to introduce legislation to ban smoking on hospital sites in England.
She explains her reasons for the Smoking Prohibition (National Health Service Premises) Bill in the Yorkshire Post (Why I want to change the law to stub out smoking on NHS hospital grounds and Politics Home (It’s time to make hospital grounds smoke-free).
Forest's response reads:
Introducing a law to ban smoking on hospital grounds would be an abuse of parliamentary time.
The overwhelming majority of NHS trusts already have smoke free policies that include on site smoking bans.
Individual trusts, not high-minded politicians in Westminster, should be allowed to decide their policy on smoking and the extent to which they enforce a ban, partial or otherwise.
Threatening to prosecute people for smoking on hospital grounds is not only disproportionate to the offence, it would discriminate against the elderly and the infirm who may find it difficult if not impossible to go off site.
Hospitals can be stressful places and for some people smoking is a comfort at a difficult time. Patients especially have a right to expect some empathy and compassion.
A bill that bans smoking on NHS sites is no way to treat people who may be at their lowest ebb.
I'll keep you posted.
Update: I discussed this on BBC Radio Leeds at lunchtime.
I was also quoted by the Yorkshire Post - see Smoking must be banned in all hospital grounds as Tracy Brabin MP bids to change the law.