P-04-601 Proposed Ban on the Use of e-cigarettes in Public Places – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Clerk of the Committee, 24.03.17

Hi Graeme,

Many thanks for your email.

Yes, I agree with you. My Petition served its purpose as it helped to bring pressure to bear on the then Health Minister - Mark Drakeford - and assisted in bringing the shortcomings of his arguments for proposing a ban on eCigarettes in Public Places to the forefront. So much so, that the the subject proved to be the key factor in the failure of the Public Health (Wales) Bill during the last Assembly.

I am fully aware that the proposed ban has been dropped from the new version of the Public Health (Wales) Bill currently going through Stage 2 of the legislative process, and I am delighted that this is the case.

Therefore, I am happy that this petition has served its purpose. That said, I remain mindful of recent comments by the Chief Medical Officer - Dr Frank Atherton - on the subject and I can assure you that I will oppose, with renewed vigour, any future attempt to pursue a ban of these devices should they consider doing so.

I wish to place on record my thanks to the previous Petitions Committee for their consideration, patience and efforts in assisting my Petition to ask the questions of Mark Drakeford, which he continually failed to answer satisfactorily or with conviction. I believe it played a major role in successfully defeating the proposals for banning eCigarettes in Public Places. I am aware that some members of the previous Petitions Committee are no longer AMs, but I assume that you still have some means of contacting them to pass on my thanks - regardless of whether they opposed or supported my petition.

Very Best Regards,
Simon