Mps will debate legislation shortly which would give the uk some of the strictest anti tobacco laws in the world. The new laws would raise the minimum age for smoking by one year every year. That means it would be illegal for anyone currently 15 or younger born afterjanuary 1st 2009 to ever buy tobacco products. The department for health says smoking kills about 80,000 people a year and costs £17 billion a year in treating smoking related illnesses and through lost productivity. The tobacco and vapes bill also aims to make vapes less appealing to children. But a number of conservative mps have told the bbc they wont back the bill. Heres our Health Correspondent sophie hutchinson. Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable death in the uk. It kills two thirds of long term users. The aim of the new bill before parliament is to protect younger generations from harm by banning tobacco use for them. One caller with experience of that harm told the Nicky Campbell show on bbc radio 5
Just take us through what shed been hearing at the inquiry this morning. Its building on a theme that started last week from senior managers at the post office. Today it was david miller He Were Benchley became the Chief Operating Officer of the post office. He started his officer in 1970 as a trainee. He was a Project Director of the Horizon It System and its implementation. He was in charge of how it was tested, how it was implemented in the late 19905. How it was implemented in the late 1990s. This mornings evidence was about how that testing wind, and there was off line testing, and there was off line testing, and there was off line testing, and there was live testing with Sub Postmasters. He was questioned about some of the bugs and faults that came up before the system was rolled out across the country. The inquiry heard that during the testing, some of these bugs, including the issue of how cash balances could be effectively changed in the accounts, how it had come to light even