Parliamentarians
have backed calls for a ban on smoking in cars in England and Wales when
children are passengers.
They voted in favour of a
Labour-supported amendment to the Children and Families Bill by a majority of
269.
This will give Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt the power to bring in a ban in England but will not immediately
mean a change in the law.
Last week, more than 700 experts wrote to MPs
urging them to back change. But critics say legislation is not needed. The
amendment - passed by 376 votes to 107 - empowers, but does not compel, the
government to make it a criminal offence for drivers to fail to prevent smoking
in their privately owned vehicles when children are present. The government gave its MPs a free vote on the issue and Prime Minister David Cameron missed the vote because he is staying in the South West overnight to visit areas affected by flooding.(additional reports by BBC)
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