 I'm very sorry to have to do this, Presiding Officer, but any exchanges across this gangway here before the cabinet secretary's left this role, I perceive that I was threatened. The exact words used were, I'm going to fall from a very high place. That's attested by my colleagues that that is what was said. Can I ask you please for some guidance on whether or not it's at all appropriate for such threats to be made in this chamber between members of this Parliament? Thank you, Mr Kerr. I would suggest that members of the Parliament should not be involved in conversations across the aisles, particularly when business has not been suspended, particularly when they should not be involved in any conversation where they are discourteous or disrespectful to one another. I do not know how many more times I can ask colleagues to please bear that extremely important standing order in mind. We are elected representatives of the Scottish people and it's extremely important that we conduct ourselves in a manner that reflects that. We will move on to the next item of business, which is a statement by Jenny Minto on working towards a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034 and tackling youth vaping. The minister will take questions at the end of his statement, so there should be no interventions or interruptions. I call on Jenny Minto up to 10 minutes, minister. In Scotland, over 8,000 lives a year are cut short from diseases caused by smoking. Much parts of the harm caused by cancers, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease is caused by smoking, harm that is entirely preventable. I have personal experience of this harm with one of my grandparents who was advised to stop smoking just before I was born. He was told that he didn't stop. He wouldn't live to see his grandchild. Thankfully, he did. I have 16 years of precious memories. We want to make it easier for people never to start smoking. Scotland has a range of world-leading tobacco control measures. In March 2006, this was the first Parliament in the UK to introduce a ban on smoking in indoor places. 18 years later, smoking rates are at an all-time low, with cigarettes smoking in children and young people at its lowest level in 32 years. Still in Scotland, on average, one person dies every 63 minutes from a tobacco-related illness. We must continue to take action to ensure that people in Scotland live longer, healthier lives. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest sympathy to all those affected by the loss of a loved one, a friend, a colleague through smoking, and to remind us how essential it is that we continue to take action to reduce smoking prevalence. While we have seen a reduction in tobacco use, there has been a notable increase in people, particularly young people, using vapes. The health and behaviour of school-age children in the 2022 Scotland survey found that almost one in five young people reported having used a vape at least once in their lifetime. Although vape products are one of a range of tools that can be used to support smoking cessation, they should never be used by young people or adult non-smokers. The long-term harms of those products are unknown, and we must remain cautious even if recent evidence shows their effectiveness as a cessation tool. Our Tobacco and Vaping framework was launched last November, setting out our road map to 2034 target of a tobacco-free Scotland. A key strand of that framework is the work that has taken place across the four nations on creating a tobacco-free generation and tackling youth vaping. I am pleased to be able to update the chamber on that work today. The four nations consultation response was published on 29 January. There was a strong response from residents in Scotland, representing 11 per cent of the nearly 28,000 responses received. The majority of responses supported proposals to create a tobacco-free generation. Respondents were also mostly in favour of the proposed measures to tackle youth vaping, particularly restricting point-of-sale displays and packaging, although it was expected that there was a mix of views on how best to do that. I would like to thank everyone who responded, including those from public health, retail organisations and local authorities. A UK-wide bill has now been introduced before the UK Parliament, which will take UK-wide measures to change the age of sale for all tobacco products, cigarette papers and herbal smoking products so that anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never legally be sold these products. The bill will also amend existing legislation to make it an offence for anyone over 18 to purchase tobacco products on behalf of those born on or after 1 January 2009. We have also listened to the views of our stakeholders, and the bill will amend our current legislation removing existing provisions that make it an offence for a person under 18 to purchase tobacco products. That will ensure that, in line with the rest of the UK, no one is criminalised for their addiction to nicotine. Let me stress, however, that it remains an offence to sell these products to persons below the age of sale, and retailers will still be required to operate an age verification policy. The bill introduces powers for Scottish ministers to make provision about tobacco warning notices to regulate retail displays of vapes and other nicotine products. It also extends existing provisions applicable to vapes to apply to other nicotine products such as nicotine pouches. It also introduces powers for the Secretary of State to make UK-wide regulations, important with the consent from Scottish ministers regarding the flavours, contents, retail packaging and other product requirements of vapes. As the bill makes provisions that would be within the competence of the Scottish Parliament, we will shortly be bringing forward a legislative consent memorandum for consideration by this Parliament. The results of the UK-wide consultation also showed overwhelming support from individuals in Scotland for a ban on the sale and supply of disposable vapes. We are the first Government in the UK to commit to taking action on single-use vapes, as well as the first to publish draft regulations to ban their sale and supply. The circular economy minister published draft regulations on 23 January, consulting on them until 8 March 2024. The general public and businesses will be able to comment on the final version of the proposal and associated impact assessments during a further six-week consultation launching in April 2024. A ban is proposed to come into force on 1 April 2025. I am working closely with Ms Slater to ensure that any potential health impacts of a ban are carefully considered. This is something that the chamber has discussed previously, and I welcome those measures. The UK Government has already set out its intention to consult further on the UK-wide powers to regulate flavours, contents, retail packaging and other product requirements of vapes. We will continue to work collaboratively with the UK Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive as this consultation develops to ensure as far as possible that measures are implemented in a consistent manner across the UK. The Scottish Government will also consult further on powers relating to retail displays of vapes. Our world-leading measures to increase the age of sale of tobacco are designed to protect future generations and create a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034. We want to make it easier for people never to start. It is much easier never to start smoking tobacco or vaping than it is to give up. Although the statement is an update following the introduction of UK-wide legislation, this forms part of a wider package of measures designed to ensure that we hit our 2034 target and also reduce levels of vaping among young people and non-smokers. Under our tobacco and vaping framework, we are progressing actions on existing powers to introduce regulations under our 2016 act and working to improve our existing tobacco and nicotine vapour product register. Our take-hold marketing campaign also aims to educate parents, carers and children about the dangers of vaping and increase the awareness of the harms of nicotine addiction. This has been a huge success with 84 per cent of campaign recognisers taking action as a result of seeing the campaign. I was personally delighted to see the take-hold adverts used at Sunday's Scottish Women's Premier League Cup final, which I had the pleasure of attending. Both Rangers and Partic Thistle teams and their supporters created a great atmosphere and we have to remember how important these players are as being role models. I am grateful for the opportunity to provide an update on the bold action that is being taken in Scotland and in partnership with governments across the four nations to protect public health. Those measures are central to our framework and represent an opportunity to make a significant generational impact on the future health of Scotland. All the UK's living chief and deputy chief medical officers past and present strongly urge members of parliaments from all political parties to support those measures. In the words of Dr Ian Walker, cancer researcher's UK executive director of policy, this legislation is a critical step on the road to creating the first generation free of tobacco, the biggest cause of cancer. I will finish with the words from our children's parliament, which illustrate their ambition to live in a healthier Scotland free from addiction, and they say, if change happened it would affect our life and make it better. So I hope that you and colleagues in the chamber will continue to be engaged in this important work, heed the words of our children's parliament and help us to achieve our ambition of a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034. Thank you. The minister will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions after which we will move on to the next item of business, and I'd be grateful if members wished to put a question where to press their request to speak buttons. I call Sandesh Gulhane. I declare a question of interest as a practicing NHS GP, and I also wish to declare that I've never smoked cigarettes nor vape, and it's important the public are clear on where we stand when deliberating policy that is on addictive substances. The number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years, and the bulk of that increase has been driven by disposables, and the evidence is clear that vapes should not be used by targeted at children due to the risks and unknown harms involved, and we know children as young as eight are addicted to the nicotine in vapes. They then crave for their next vape and they're distracted, they can't concentrate, they can't do their schoolwork until they satisfy their cravings, and as for those children who need that extra hit, the higher strength, a particular flavour or a particular colour, then they're going to do it and get it, get their hands on a vape even if it means shoplifting. Now it's been thought that vapes are not that harmless. A new University of College London study finds that vaping causes changes to DNA in mouth cells in a similar way to how lung cancer appears. We support smokers changing to vapes and also a smoke-free generation. We need a modern, efficient and local NHS that prioritises prevention, so will the Minister back our calls to bring vaping legislation in line with tobacco to make it illegal to vape indoors? Furthermore, what concrete action will the Minister take to ensure that our children do not vape? I thank Dr Gilhaney for the question. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will provide government with new powers to introduce full restrictions to reduce the appeal and availability of all vapes and other nicotine products to children. That will include future limits on flavours, where and how vapes can be displayed and within shops and how vapes are packaged. We don't want to have any unintended consequences on adult smoking rates, so the scope of those restrictions need to be carefully considered, and we need to apply them proportionately. I agree that we do not want our young children to be vaping, and we have been working closely with young children, and they give me that message as well. With regard to regulation of power, we need the flexibility that is available for ministers to monitor and adjust regulations following implementation, and it will be necessary to gain further evidence to ensure that we do this the right way. I thank the Minister for advance sight of her statement. Scottish Labour is the party that led the way with the introduction of the smoking ban, will fully support legislation that we hope will lead to the creation of a tobacco-free generation and indeed a tobacco-free Scotland. It is welcome that the Conservatives and the SNP have come to support Labour's long-standing position that banning single-use vapes is critical to tackling youth vaping, both in the interests of their health and the environment in which they exist. Given cancer research UK know in their briefing ahead of today's statement that the aim to deliver a smoke-free Scotland by 2034 is well off track, what plans over and above those outlined in your statement can the minister give to say getting that back on track? Given vaping legislation is not expected to be implemented for over a year, can she set out preparatory and indeed preventive work with our young people will take place between now and then? I remember very clearly the smoking ban in external places coming through, and I think the strength of that was that it was a cross-party agreement and Stuart Maxwell from the SNP was also involved in that. That is one of the strengths of how we can work together with regard to the bill, and it is something that we have been doing very clearly with the Administrations in London, Cardiff and also Belfast as well. I feel very positive about that. We have also had great support from our chief medical officers to ensure that we are doing the right thing. More details will be provided in the LCM when that is laid in front of this Parliament. I think that a lot of the work that we have done in preparing for this bill has involved the young people at different states. I referenced the children's Parliament and I think that that is what we have to remember. At the heart of this legislation is the future of our children and to ensure that they have the healthier lifestyle that they want. I refer members to my register of interests and that I hold a bank nurse contract with Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS. We know that smoking is the leading preventable cause of health inequalities, which have grown only starker in the midst of over a decade of Tory-imposed austerity. Can the minister outline what work the Scottish Government is doing to support people to stop smoking, particularly in those areas where economic and health inequalities are most prevalent? Clare Hawke is absolutely right. Despite the significant reduction since 2003, it is concerning that adults living in the most deprived areas are still more likely to be current smokers. Smoking contributes significantly to Scotland's unfair and unjust health inequalities as both a cause and an effect. Smoking cessation services are essential to ensuring that people have access to the right support at the right time to quit smoking or vaping, and we are committed to working with our NHS cessation co-ordinators and pharmacy colleagues across Scotland to refocus and remobilise cessation services to ensure that we are reaching those in our communities who are in the most need of support to quit. Tess White, to be followed by Emma Harper. Minister, in 2022, around 12 per cent of women smoked during pregnancy. As the minister has referenced, her own grandparent was advised to stop smoking, and we know that smoking when pregnant can have serious health risks, but we also know how difficult it can be to stop. In England, midwives and NHS staff helped almost 15,000 mums to be to quit smoking over a three-year period. Will the minister ensure that midwives in Scotland have the resources to support pregnant women to kick the habit? I agree with Tess White that it is important to get pregnant women not smoking. We are very clear in our best start guidelines and other literature online that seceding smoking is so important. Our nurse family partnerships are also supporting women in that respect. Emma Harper, to be followed by Colin Smyth. As co-convener of the lung health cross-party group, I recently heard from a mother about how her school-age daughter has experienced anxiety, agitation, aggression, depression, shortage of breath since starting vaping, as well as missing school. Can the minister comment on what further steps it can be taken to minimise the health impacts of youth vaping? I thank Emma Harper for that very important question. I am really sorry to hear about the effects that vaping has had on this young person. I have heard of similar situations in my constituency. Children and young people may not fully understand the risks and implications of using these devices or be able to make informed decisions. That is where the work that we did on our take-hold campaign, directing that specifically at parents and carers, to provide advice and help to understand the risks related to vaping addictions, is terribly important. I also met some fathers who were discussing with me the conversations that they feel they need to have with their children with regard to vaping. That is one of the areas of work that we are doing. Colin Smyth, to be followed by Fulton MacGregor. I thank climate activist Laurie Young and others, including the Daily Record, for the successful campaign to ban disposable vapes. As we know, refillable vapes will still be available. Earlier today, I met pupils from pupils high school. S1 pupil Jess highlighted the fact that disposable vapes were clearly marketed in her direction through packaging, flavours and shot displays. Does the minister accept that unless action is taken on the marketing of vapes, companies are likely to turn their attention to using the same marketing techniques for refillable vapes. That will undermine the effectiveness of any ban on disposable vapes. I thank Colin Smyth for his question and recognise the concerns that he has raised. I think that, with the powers in the bill, they will allow regulations and flavours and packaging of vapes. I do absolutely understand the point that he is making with regard to them being colourful or child-friendly flavours. That is something that we feel that the legislation needs to support to reduce the impacts on young children with regard to vapes. I am happy to have a further conversation to hear about the examples that he has raised in the chamber. Fulton MacGregor, to be followed by Alex Cole-Hamilton. While vaping can be a useful tool for those looking to quit smoking, as the minister herself has mentioned in her statement, the number of young people starting vaping is of concern. Can the minister expand further on the work that has been done to educate young people on the impact of vaping and the risks of smoking? Our behaviour in Scottish schools research published in November identified vaping as an increasing problem in our schools, and we are concerned about the extent of vaping being reported and the impact that this is having on young people's attendance in class. We are working with partners in the Scottish advisory group on relationships and behaviour in schools to consider what further action is needed to support schools to address vaping as part of the development of the national action plan on relationships and behaviour as part of our tobacco and vaping plan. Alex Cole-Hamilton, to be followed by Runa Mackay. I inform the chamber that my two sons attend the Royal High School in my Edinburgh Western constituency. We have a serious problem when it comes to youth vaping in Scotland, as we've heard, 22 per cent of under-18s in Scotland used to vape last year. I'm glad that the Scottish Government is pressing ahead with the ban on disposable vapes, which we know are deliberately targeted at young people. Any ban will not come in until next April, and action is needed now. Royal High School in my constituency has led the way in tackling this escalating problem by installing special smoke detectors in the toilets of their school at the start of this month, which are already working as a deterrent. I want in particular to thank the parents' association and senior management at the school for leading this campaign and for garnering national interest. Can I ask the minister what plans are in place to support schools like Royal High School in tackling the issue as a matter of urgency and why there is such a delay built into those plans in terms of the roll-out of the ban? I thank Alex Cole-Hamilton for his question and also reflect on the positiveness that I felt when I saw BBC Scotland's news page this morning, which was highlighting the decisions that the Royal High School of Edinburgh has taken. As I have said previously, we are working with partners in the Scottish advisory group on relationships and behaviour in schools to consider what further action is needed to support schools to address vaping as part of the development of the national action plan in relations, and that action plan will be published in the spring. It is up to individual local authorities to work with schools and to ensure that the appropriate measures are put in place to deal with incidents of substance use. Nevertheless, we are also taking forward substance use education work in our schools through the curriculum for excellence. I would be interested to know if other local authorities get in touch with the Royal High School in Edinburgh to see how they have established the work that they have been doing within the school. We know that disposable vapes pose environmental risks, both as an eyesore through littering and as a harm through fires and waste facilities. Can the minister outline how local authorities can be supported in managing the safe disposal and waste management associated with single use vapes? I thank Rona Mackay for her question, and when I visited Sunnyside primary school in Alloa at the end of last year or earlier this year, one of the points that the children made was that they felt that their spaces, their police parks, were being overtaken by overflowing bins of disposable vapes. I agree that the safe disposal of those vapes is an issue for local authorities. As part of our proposals to ban single useable vapes, the Government will work closely with trading standards to ensure that local authorities have the right capacity to enforce the measure. I have been campaigning on the issue alongside parents, young people, clinicians, health charities and the daily record, and they are all really pleased that the announcement to ban single use vapes, and I want to thank them for their support. Before the ban comes into place, we need to reduce the potential harm to young people's health. I believe that some of that can be done by retailers themselves. Will the minister join with me and those campaigners to look at how we can quickly get products behind cover and encourage all retailers that consider themselves to be responsible retailers to put those behind cover now voluntarily? I thank Julian Mackay for her question and I reflect on a piece of market research that I read with regards to getting secret shoppers of a young age to go out and buy cigarettes because they have been so used to seeing them behind the grey blinds that they had to have it explained as to what was a cigarette and what did a cigarette package look like. I would be very happy to support Ms Mackay's suggestion where we support and where retailers might make the decision themselves. The statement talks about tobacco and vaping framework and working to improve the existing tobacco and nicotine vapour product register. Other nations such as Netherlands have a more concise approach to the issue. All fruity flavours and aromas that might appeal to young people and those new to the habit are banned and only tobacco flavours are allowed. Is the Scottish Government considering those type of measures under the tobacco and vaping framework? I thank Alexander Stewart for his question and I would gently point out that it is really helpful and important to have a nicotine and vape register because then that allows us to pinpoint and exactly know which retailers are selling the vapes and all the four nations in the UK we are the only one that does have that. It is important that we invest in that to make sure that it covers the whole area. I touched in my statement with regard to the flavours and having met some members of the children's Parliament in hearing about the conflict about what was healthy and what was not so watermelon-flavoured vapes versus a watermelon, I think really highlights the importance of getting that legislation right. Taking it forward as a four nation is the right way to do it as well because that means that we have consistency and there are no issues as a result of the UK Internal Market Act. I thank David Torrance for that question and I have already talked a bit about the take-home marketing campaign, which was on various social medias as well as for us oldies radio as well. What I would really like to say though is that the voice of young people are absolutely at the heart of this legislation and the heart of our tobacco and vaping framework. We ensure that the messages that we are putting out, we do that in collaboration with them. I would also like to mention that, in fact, the Northern Ireland Government is looking at our take-hold campaign and is looking to introduce it as well in Northern Ireland. I really welcome the recognition that vaping is such a significant health issue in Scotland, in the UK and further afield. I would like to put on record that if I had my way, I would only give access to vaping through prescriptions. Access to a healthier lifestyle is on the other side of that equation. Will the Scottish Government ensure that our children have access to that healthier lifestyle and encourage them to do so? If I can reflect again on my visit to Sunnyside primary school in Alloa, they were telling me about how they were doing creative writing. They recognised that if they wrote for a while and then went out for a bit and got a bit of exercise and a bit of fresh air, their brain cells were reinvigorated. I think that it is important to ensure that, as well as the banning of vapes, we also recognise the importance of sport and, as I highlighted in my statement, it is wonderful to be in collaboration with the Scottish Women's Football and the fact that they were showing our advert at the match on Sunday. Those footballers are fantastic role models for our children, and I think that that is absolutely key to ensuring that the message of healthy living and exercise is put out there. It was great to see so many supporters, both amongst the Rangers and the Partic Dysil team, cheering on the two teams. Steven Kerr. The minister mentioned in her statement that Nicotine pouches and they are currently not regulated as tobacco products because they do not contain tobacco. They are being sold over the counter to children and young people under the age of 18. When the minister brings forward regulations under the powers that the Scottish ministers will have, will she please prioritise the regulation and licensing of the sale of Nicotine pouches? As I have said, we work very closely with the UK Government to ensure that this is the right legislation and that it is also future-proofed. As I said earlier, we will bring in an LCM to the chamber, which will lay out more detail. That concludes the ministerial statement. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business.