On Wednesday, Alex Cunningham, MP for Stockton North is due to table a Ten Minute Rule Bill proposing that smoking be banned in private vehicles when there are children present.

The Children in Mr Cunningham's constituency are, like many across the country, at risk from the dangers of passive smoking, with Stockton North ranking fifteenth in the UK according to British Lung Foundation research.

Encouraging signs

Professor John Britton, professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Nottingham, has in fact looked at the lessons learned in Canada, where a national media programme was supported by legislation in some states.
Data provided to Professor Britton demonstrates that states in Canada that implemented legislation on smoking in cars when children are present, saw a dramatic drop in exposure to smoke compared with states that focused on education and awareness campaigns.

Read the full viewpoint by Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive, British Lung Foundation, on the BBC News Health page.