§ 6. Ms Gisela Stuart (Birmingham, Edgbaston)What guidance has been issued to the NHS about developing smoking cessation services. [85001]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. John Hutton)Guidance was issued on 16 April 1999 to the NHS on the development of new NHS smoking cessation services. Up to £60 million will be available over the next three years, initially in health action zones, to develop these new services.
§ Ms StuartI am grateful to my hon. Friend for that answer. Birmingham health authority leads the field in smoking reduction. Recently, about 110,000 free guides to a smoke-free Birmingham were delivered to C2, D and E households. In his reply, the Minister said that extra money is to go to health action zones. Will he say whether, in future, money will go to authorities such as Birmingham, which are not health action zones but which nevertheless lead the field in that area, to support their good work?
§ Mr. HuttonAgain, I am happy to join my hon. Friend in supporting the excellent work that is done in Birmingham. The smoke-free Birmingham campaign is an excellent model for other partners to explore. The first year of the new three-year programme of promoting smoking cessation services will be focused on health action zones, but in years two and three we expect the benefits to be spread more widely throughout England. We expect £20 million to be spent in year two and £30 million the year after, throughout the country.