Smokers face ban from fostering

Smokers face ban from fostering

The council said it would help existing foster carers to quit smoking
Smokers will be banned from fostering children in a London borough, if a council's plans go ahead.

Redbridge Council, in north-east London, said it wants to protect children from "the damaging effects of passive and second-hand smoke".

If the plan is approved on Tuesday, smokers will be unable to foster children from 2010 unless there are "exceptional circumstances".

Redbridge Foster Care Association welcomed the plan as "a good idea".

Under the plan, existing foster carers who smoke will be given support to help them quit.

The council claimed the policy was the result of scientific evidence which showed that "second-hand smoke is a cause of lung cancer and childhood respiratory disease".

Councillor Michael Stark said: "While the council recognises the proven skills and abilities of its carers who smoke, it is essential that the health of our looked-after children is protected.

"Unlike adults, children have little choice about whether or not to be in a smoky environment so I hope the cabinet will take the decision to limit the harmful effects this drug can have on them."

Redbridge Foster Care Association chairwoman Norma Gregory said: "Foster carers in Redbridge think this is a good idea and would support anything that safeguards children.

"However, they have been aware of the impact that passive smoking has on children's health for the past three years and most either don't smoke because they have kicked the habit or, if they do, they don't smoke in the company of children."

Last year the Fostering Network charity advised UK local authorities to ban smokers from looking after children under the age of five.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7699911.stm

Bid to ban smoking in cars

Bid to ban smoking in cars

Anti-smoking lobbyists have said the Government should consider banning smoking in cars.

Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) claims the pollution caused by one cigarette in a car is as bad as a pub filled with smoke.

In its report, Beyond Smoking Kills, it states that stopping smoking in cars is "vital in cutting the exposure of children and young people to the toxins in second-hand tobacco smoke".

Ash's director Deborah Arnott said: "It's a serious health issue. Research from Canada shows if you smoke once in a car you get the same pollution as you used to get at the end of an evening in a pub.

"The level of exposure you get in an enclosed vehicle is extremely high and it's not at all good for your health."

She added that Ash was not calling for an immediate ban, but wanted an investigation into whether legislation should be introduced.

"We want a proper debate, not a knee-jerk reaction," she said.

"What we need to do is engage people as to why smoking in cars is dangerous. It's not just dangerous for children, it's dangerous for adults as well.

"We do not call for a legislative ban on smoking in cars. Give smokers access to alternatives. What we'd like to see is if smokers are in the car and desperate, they chew some gum. We need education."

The Beyond Smoking Kills report found that the annual cost to the NHS of smoking had risen from £1.7 billion in 1998 to £2.7 billion this year.

Among its recommendations are the introduction of plain packaging and a ban on shop displays of all tobacco products in a bid to encourage 4.5 million smokers to quit by 2015.

Simon Clark, director of pro-tobacco group Forest, said smokers were facing a "war" and wanted an end to Government interference.

Mr Clark said: "We're strongly against any further legislation on smoking in cars.

"We think parents should err on the side of caution when it comes to smoking around children, but to ban it would be a gross overreaction.

"There's simply no evidence that smoking in cars is a serious distraction and causes accidents. I think this is part of the war on tobacco and I think it would be difficult to enforce.

"A car is a private space and if people choose to smoke in their car, that is a matter for them."
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