IPH welcome the opportunity to respond to the NI consultation on regulations to restrict smoking in private vehicles when children are present. The draft regulations proposed that the existing leglislation, as set out in the Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, will be extended so that it will be an offence to: smoke in a private vehicle with someone under 18 present; and to fail to prevent smoking in a private vehicle with someone under 18 present. Similar legislation was enacted in the Republic of Ireland in March 2016.

Reducing second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure has become a central component of tobacco control policies across the island of Ireland. The expansion of smoke-free spaces directly reduces exposure of children and adults and further denormalises tobacco use in a variety of social contexts. Challenges remain in terms of persistent health inequalities and significant exposure to SHS in the home, particularly in the context of children. This snapshot report presents a brief overview of progress on the development of smoke-free spaces on the island of Ireland.