[Mr. Eric Illsley in the Chair]
Health Bill
11:00 am
Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health; Don Valley, Labour)
I will reflect, outside the Committee, on what the hon. Gentleman has said about hiring cars for business use. My understanding is that, should an individual hire a private vehicle without a driver, that would constitute private use. Individuals may hire a vehicle to get to work or because their car has broken down. A travelling salesperson may need to get to the other side of the country. A company may need to get one of its personnel from one end of the country to the other. He or she wants to drive, but the company car has packed up, so a private vehicle is hired.
In the broadest sense, one could say that that car is being used for work. However, we would view that as private use for a set period. No driver or chauffeur is employed to transport that person from one place to another. Therefore, I still think it is down to the individuals who hire a private vehicle to decide whether they want to smoke in the car, provided they have not employed a driver. That is in line, as far as I understand, with provisions in Ireland and with the approach taken in Scotland.