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The '''Parliamentary snuff box''' is a wooden [[snuff box]] at the door of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]] where [[snuff (tobacco)|snuff]] is stored for usage by [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]]. It originated after 1694 when smoking was banned in the House of Commons.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> It is the responsibility of the [[Doorkeeper (Houses of Parliament)|Principle Doorkeeper]] to ensure it is stocked.<ref name=bbc>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
== History ==
In 1694, the [[Parliament of England]] passed a resolution banning smoking in the House of Commons chamber and in committee rooms.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Following this, members still wished to imbibe tobacco so snuff was used as a tolerated alternative to smoking as attributed to "[[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice]]".<ref name=sn>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> In 1941, the House of Commons chamber was destroyed by a Nazi bomb on the [[Palace of Westminster]]. The current Parliamentary snuff box was created using timber from the destroyed chamber's door frame with a silver plate listing all the names of the Principle Doorkeepers since 1943.<ref name=wd>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=i>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> The responsibility for maintaining the Parliamentary snuff box lies with the Principle Doorkeeper who stocks the box with snuff paid for with his own money.<ref name=i />
== Attention ==
Until the 2010s, the rights of MPs to have free snuff was a little known tradition of the House of Commons. A [[Freedom of information in the United Kingdom|Freedom of Information request]] in 2010 confirmed the existence of the tradition and that it was filled with snuff chosen by the Principle Doorkeeper chosen from a local tobacconist.<ref name=wd /> The request did not reveal which members took advantage of the free snuff privilege as the last recorded instance of an MP taking snuff was in 1989 when 1.5 oz. was taken at a cost of 99p.<ref name=sn />
In 2012, the parliamentary snuff box was mentioned in a debate by the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] MP for [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]], [[Caroline Lucas]] who criticised the parliamentary snuff box for being outdated.<ref name=bbc /> The [[Conservative Party (United Kingdom)|Conservative Party]] MP for [[Gillingham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)|Gillingham and Rainham]] [[Rehman Chishti]] also wrote a written question about how much had been used in the previous decade. The response was that there were no known users of the parliamentary snuff box.<ref name=bbc /> It was also noted that while under the [[Health Act 2006]] it is illegal to give out free tobacco, Parliament is exempt from this as the Palace of Westminster is a [[Royal Palace]].<ref name=bbc />
== References ==
[[Category:House of Commons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Tobacco in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British traditions]]
== History ==
In 1694, the [[Parliament of England]] passed a resolution banning smoking in the House of Commons chamber and in committee rooms.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Following this, members still wished to imbibe tobacco so snuff was used as a tolerated alternative to smoking as attributed to "[[Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice]]".<ref name=sn>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> In 1941, the House of Commons chamber was destroyed by a Nazi bomb on the [[Palace of Westminster]]. The current Parliamentary snuff box was created using timber from the destroyed chamber's door frame with a silver plate listing all the names of the Principle Doorkeepers since 1943.<ref name=wd>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref name=i>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> The responsibility for maintaining the Parliamentary snuff box lies with the Principle Doorkeeper who stocks the box with snuff paid for with his own money.<ref name=i />
== Attention ==
Until the 2010s, the rights of MPs to have free snuff was a little known tradition of the House of Commons. A [[Freedom of information in the United Kingdom|Freedom of Information request]] in 2010 confirmed the existence of the tradition and that it was filled with snuff chosen by the Principle Doorkeeper chosen from a local tobacconist.<ref name=wd /> The request did not reveal which members took advantage of the free snuff privilege as the last recorded instance of an MP taking snuff was in 1989 when 1.5 oz. was taken at a cost of 99p.<ref name=sn />
In 2012, the parliamentary snuff box was mentioned in a debate by the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] MP for [[Brighton Pavilion (UK Parliament constituency)|Brighton Pavilion]], [[Caroline Lucas]] who criticised the parliamentary snuff box for being outdated.<ref name=bbc /> The [[Conservative Party (United Kingdom)|Conservative Party]] MP for [[Gillingham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)|Gillingham and Rainham]] [[Rehman Chishti]] also wrote a written question about how much had been used in the previous decade. The response was that there were no known users of the parliamentary snuff box.<ref name=bbc /> It was also noted that while under the [[Health Act 2006]] it is illegal to give out free tobacco, Parliament is exempt from this as the Palace of Westminster is a [[Royal Palace]].<ref name=bbc />
== References ==
[[Category:House of Commons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Tobacco in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British traditions]]
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