Holyrood backs ban on sale of e-cigarettes to under 18s
(about 9 hours later)
Legislation restricting the sale of e-cigarettes in Scotland is expected to be passed by MSPs later.
Legislation restricting the sale of e-cigarettes in Scotland has been passed by MSPs at Holyrood.
The Scottish government's Health Bill will ban under-18s from buying the devices and limit their advertising.
The Scottish government's Health Bill bans under-18s from buying the devices and limits their advertising.
The wide-ranging bill also strengthens the ban on smoking tobacco in NHS hospital grounds.
The wide-ranging legislation also strengthens the ban on smoking tobacco in NHS hospital grounds.
And it will create specific criminal offences for health and social care workers found to be deliberately mistreating those in their care.
And it will create specific criminal offences for health and social care workers found to be deliberately mistreating those in their care.
The legislation will also require health and social care organisations to be open when a patient has suffered unintended harm during treatment or care, through a statutory duty of candour.
The legislation will also;
The Scottish government introduced an amendment to the Bill creating a duty for the NHS to provide equipment and support to people who lose their voices as a result of health conditions after input from MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Scotland and other organisations.
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt said almost all of the experts who gave evidence to the parliament's health committee said the bill was necessary.
Public Health Minister Maureen Watt will meet people with disabilities who have an interest in voice equipment before the final debate at Holyrood.
Ms Watt believed the legislation was a "milestone" and would help people in Scotland live longer, healthier lives.
Watch live coverage of the final debate and vote on the Health Bill from 2.45pm.
She argued that while she did not want to stigmatise people who used e-cigarettes, the government was committed to preventing under-18s from accessing them.
Speaking before the debate, Ms Watt said: "The prospect of losing your voice can be extremely worrying and I hope that this legislation will provide some comfort and assurance that equipment and support will be available.
Lib Dem MSP Jim Hume said he supported more research into the health affects of e-cigarettes.
"I would also like to acknowledge the important role of Gordon Aikman, MND Scotland and others in helping to bring about the voice equipment provisions contained in this Bill."
He added that they should be available for those who wanted to stop smoking and not used to "encourage people to start".
A ban on sales of e-cigarettes has already been introduced south of the border.
Tobacco smoking in the grounds of Scottish hospitals was banned by health boards at the request of the Scottish government last year but the new bill will now make it a statutory offence.
Tobacco smoking in the grounds of Scottish hospitals was banned by health boards at the request of the Scottish government last year but the new bill will make it a statutory offence.
Ms Watt insisted that move was "common sense".
She added: "This is a wide-ranging bill. If passed this afternoon it will mean the introduction of regulation of e-cigarettes for the first time.
She added: "Hospitals are places people go to recover from illness, and they shouldn't have to walk through clouds of smoke."
"While they are almost certainly safer than cigarettes, and have a role to help people quit smoking, we don't want children to take them up, and that's why we are proposing these age restrictions.
"Making it an offence to smoke near hospital buildings is common sense, and it will help NHS boards to enforce their existing smoke-free policies.
"Hospitals are places people go to recover from illness, and they shouldn't have to walk through clouds of smoke.
"This is also a bill that seeks to improve patient safety and rights. Our proposals on duty of candour will ensure that health and social care providers are fully open when a patient has suffered unintentional harm.
"They will improve transparency, raise standards and help us to learn from past mistakes.
"We also hope to create a new criminal offence for wilful neglect. Thankfully these cases are very rare, but when they do happen it will give our courts the power to deal with the worst cases of neglect and ill-treatment."
