Have Your Say

• Your message to the new Health Secretary

  Britain has a new government, and with it, perhaps a new beginning.
  
  A coalition government may not be what everyone wanted, but both David Cameron and Nick Clegg promise the beginning of a new era in government and politics.
  
  The ramifications of the new government for the NHS are yet to be seen; the first and most obvious change to have taken place however, is that of the position of  Secretary of State for Health, with the Conservative minister Andrew Lansley replacing Andy Burnham of Labour.
  
  Whatever your political affiliation, as employees of the NHS, what would be your message to our new Health Secretary?
  
   
  
  What advice would you give to Andrew Lansley?
  
  Which NHS issue should the Health Secretary address first?
  
  

• Cigarette packaging ban

  Australia is to become the first country to introduce mandatory plain cigarette packaging.
  
  From July 1, 2012, logos, promotional text or colourful images will be banned from cigarette packets and graphic government health warnings will be displayed instead, with the brand name relegated to tiny, generic font at the bottom.
  
  The government also announced it would increase the cigarette tax by 25 percent.
  
  "Cigarettes are not cool, cigarettes kill people," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said. "This will be the most hard-line regime for cigarette packaging anywhere in the world and cigarette companies will hate it."
  
   
  
  
  • Should the UK follow Australia’s example and ban cigarette packaging?
  
  • How much of a role should government play with regard to smoking?