Scotland's chief medical officer has called for a renewed effort to reduce the number of deaths linked to smoking.

As the Scottish Executive examines plans for a partial ban on smoking in public, the health chief has warned that 13,000 Scots die every year from smoking-related illness.

One in four of all Scots deaths is linked to smoking, the government believes.

Nearly 30 per cent of Scots are thought to smoke - a problem which costs the NHS an average of £200 million every year.

Publishing his annual report in Scotland's health, Dr Mac Armstrong said: "I recognise how tough it is for smokers to give up, but there is help out there and the Executive has provided millions of pounds of funding for cessation services.

"Many thousands of Scots have already kicked the habit and now have more cash in their pockets as well as a healthier lifestyle."
 
Signalling that the case for a ban in smoking in public is growing, Dr Armstrong said there was "increasing evidence" about the health risks associated with second-hand smoke.

"Passive smokers suffer an increased risk of smoking-related diseases and second-hand smoke is also thought to be a major cause of asthma in children," he said.

The chief medical officer has also warned that smoking remains "a serious problem" in Glasgow where more than one in three people smoke.

In his annual audit of Scots' healthcare Dr Armstrong also warns that more needs to be done to tackle poor diet, lack of physical activity and alcohol misuse.

"The good news is Scotland's health is improving, but we need to improve that rate of change as life expectancy for men and women still remains low compared with other nations in Western Europe," added Dr Armstrong.