Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:03 pm on 4 July 2017.
Rhianon Passmore
Labour
2:03,
4 July 2017
First Minister, in 2015 small shops and retailers fell into line with large businesses with it being illegal for them to display cigarettes and tobacco in public. At the time the Minister for Health and Social Services, Mark Drakeford, stated smoking still causes around 5,450 deaths in Wales each year. Around half of all regular smokers will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, and that’s why we will continue to work tirelessly to reduce smoking levels to 16 per cent by 2020. First Minister, what progress is being made to hit that 2020 target, what challenges do we face to meet it, and what further action can the Welsh Government take to fulfil our aim?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
