This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on World Cancer Day, 4 February 2019.
World Cancer Day, 4 February 2019 (291 KB , PDF)
World Cancer Day has been marked annually on 4 February since 2000. It was established by the Paris Charter adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium that year. The day’s focus is on reducing preventable deaths from cancer through education, raising awareness and by urging governments and individuals across the world to take action. The World Health Organisation has stated that 9.6 million people worldwide are estimated to have died of cancer in 2018. The theme for World Cancer Day 2019 is ‘I Am and I Will’, a call for individual action to reduce the behaviours and risk factors, such as obesity and tobacco consumption, that contribute to a third of preventable cancer cases.
World Cancer Day, 4 February 2019 (291 KB , PDF)
The bill aims to create a 'smoke-free generation' by banning tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, alongside other measures to tackle smoking and tobacco harms. It would also further regulate vaping, curbing its appeal to children, while enabling adult smokers to use vapes as a quitting tool. The bill is similar to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which fell at dissolution 2024.
In October 2024, a report from the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee concluded that poor-quality diets were contributing to an obesity crisis in England. It said that successive governments had failed to tackle the issue, and more regulation was now needed. This briefing summarises the committee’s recommendations, the government’s response in January 2025, and reaction to both reports.
On 9 March, the Covid-19 Day of Reflection 2025 took place to mark five years since the start of the pandemic in the UK. This briefing has been prepared ahead of a debate in the House of Lords focused on the support available to those bereaved because of Covid-19. It outlines the help available for families and sets out background information on the Covid-19 Day of Reflection, as well as the UK Covid-19 inquiry.
