I AM confident that responsible smokers already take care not to smoke in confined spaces shared by others. Smokers are fully aware of the harm tobacco usage brings.

Shocking television adverts and other methods have a part to play in dissuading people from smoking, but do we really need another law?

I have heard people say that we have far too much regulation already. Politicians are removing our freedoms.

The truth is, not all smokers do act responsibly and, sadly, some think of children as small adults and delight in hearing them use swear words. They believe that a child lighting up a fag or having a swig of what the grown-ups are drinking is a natural part of development – a chip off the old block.

In respect for the majority who are acting responsibly we, in fact, do need a law specifically to protect children from the effects of smoking tobacco in shared confined spaces. The law doesn’t take away freedoms, it protects them.

Gerard Wild, Richmond.