Found: virus opt-out testing, dated 11.12.23 Correspondence from the Secretary of State on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: We are seeing that already, for example—we have talked about this before, Gavin—with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: We are seeing that already, for example—we have talked about this before, Gavin—with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle tobacco bundle packs; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of prohibiting the promotion of these bundles.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made an assessment on the potential merits of prohibiting the sale of bundles, consisting of hand rolling tobacco, cigarette papers, and filters, being sold together at a discount.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill gives my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care powers to regulate the features of all tobacco products, including their size and shape, as well as the number of individual products contained in an individual packet. The bill also widens this power to cover tobacco related devices, herbal smoking products, and cigarette papers. The bill gives my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care the power to make, via regulations, prohibitions, requirements, and limitations on the supply of these products. This power would cover bundles of products that are sold in a package together.

Tobacco taxation is a matter for HM Treasury. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, duty rates on all tobacco products were increased, in line with the tobacco duty escalator, by 2% above Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation. The duty rate on hand-rolling tobacco was increased by a further 10% to 12% above RPI inflation, to reduce the gap with duty on cigarettes. These changes came into effect on 30 October 2024. High and increasing rates of tobacco duty are proven to incentivise those who currently smoke either to quit or to smoke less, and support public finances.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the prevention stream of the health mission; and when he plans to publish an update from the mission board.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling the United Kingdom’s biggest killers and building a fairer UK, where everyone lives longer, healthier lives. This is why our Health Mission sets out to shift away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where there is focus on prevention and more services are delivered in local communities.

We have already acted with the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill passing committee stage on 30 January 2025. We are committed to banning junk food advertising to children. A 9pm TV watershed and 24-hour online ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy food and drink products targeting children are on track to come into force across the UK on 1 October 2025. We have also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to young people aged under 16 years old.

Alongside this, we are exploring all interventions that will improve public health across a range of the UK’s biggest killers and help deliver the shift from treatment to prevention. Further details on our approach will be shared as we move forward.

Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees. It is a long-established precedent that information about the proceedings of the Cabinet or of any committee of the Cabinet is not normally shared publicly; this includes mission boards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 24256 on Electronic Cigarettes: Young People, whether the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will restrict the size of vape tanks.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst nicotine vapes are already subject to tank size requirements, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill goes further and covers all types of vapes, both nicotine and non-nicotine, and consumer nicotine products.

As stated in our previous answer, the bill provides powers on product features that allow the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability.

Subject to consultation, regulation making powers in the Government’s bill will allow us to amend or place additional requirements and limits on vape tank sizes, and the size of refill tanks. The Government will consider this issue further as part of its secondary legislation programme after Royal Assent.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the application of section 7A of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 on the introduction of a generational smoking ban in Northern Ireland, as proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government intends to apply the Tobacco and Vapes Bill across the United Kingdom and it has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

In the drafting of the Bill, the Government has considered all its domestic and international obligations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the five-point prevention plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling the United Kingdom’s biggest killers and building a fairer UK, where everyone lives longer, healthier lives. This is why our Health Mission aims to shift away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where there is focus on prevention, and more services are delivered in local communities. Our core objective is to shorten the amount of time spent in ill-health and prevent premature deaths, and we are committed to this.

We have already taken action, with the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill passing the committee stage on 30 January. We are committed to banning junk food advertising to children. A 9:00pm television watershed and 24-hour online ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy food and drink products targeting children are on track to come into force across the UK on 1 October 2025. We have also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds.

Alongside this, we are exploring all interventions that will improve public health across a range of the UK’s biggest killers and help deliver the shift from treatment to prevention. Further details on our approach will be shared as we move forward.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the five-point prevention plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling the United Kingdom’s biggest killers and building a fairer UK, where everyone lives longer, healthier lives. This is why our Health Mission aims to shift away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where there is focus on prevention, and more services are delivered in local communities. Our core objective is to shorten the amount of time spent in ill-health and prevent premature deaths, and we are committed to this.

We have already taken action, with the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill passing the committee stage on 30 January. We are committed to banning junk food advertising to children. A 9:00pm television watershed and 24-hour online ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy food and drink products targeting children are on track to come into force across the UK on 1 October 2025. We have also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds.

Alongside this, we are exploring all interventions that will improve public health across a range of the UK’s biggest killers and help deliver the shift from treatment to prevention. Further details on our approach will be shared as we move forward.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the impact assessment for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, published on 5 November 2024, whether the specified cost of retailer staff training (a) is a one-off cost and (b) reflects ongoing costs in relation to planned secondary legislation relating to that Bill.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The estimated familiarisation and staff training costs included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill impact assessment are assumed to be one-off costs, and individual estimates are provided for each specific policy.

The bill will gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country, so an individual born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be legally sold these products, including through proxy purchasing. Although it will mean the legal age of sale effectively increases by one year each year, the regulations will not change every year. This means it will be a one-off cost for retailers in terms of training staff.

Some indicative estimates for staff training are included for secondary legislation. This, however, will be subject to consultation and, where proportionate, further work will be completed to assess the costs and benefits of these measures.

We will continue to work closely with retailers to support them in implementing the smoke-free generation policy in the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative estimate of the costs of (a) implementing a one-time increase in the legal purchase age of tobacco and (b) introducing an age escalator, in the context of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health. It causes approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, one in four of all cancer deaths, and kills up to two-thirds of its users.

Smoking also substantially increases the risk of many major health conditions throughout people’s lives, such as strokes, diabetes, heart disease, stillbirth, dementia, and asthma. Three quarters of smokers wish they had never started smoking but are unable to stop due to the addictive nature of tobacco.

It is estimated that smoking costs the country £21.8 billion a year in England. This includes an annual £18.3 billion loss to productivity, through smoking related lost earnings, unemployment, and early death, as well as costs to the National Health Service and social care of over £2 billion.

On 5 November 2024, the Department published an impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. This found that the introduction of the smoke-free generation policy, the progressive increase in the age of sale, will get smoking rates in England for 14 to 30 year olds to 0% as early as 2050. Over the next 50 years it will save tens of thousands of lives, and avoid up to 130,000 cases of cases of lung cancer, strokes, and heart disease.

The impact assessment explored a one-time age increase, but this has been discounted as it does not achieve the policy objective to prevent future generations from ever taking up smoking and getting smoking prevalence to 0% to achieve a smoke-free United Kingdom. Simply raising the age of sale to one set year will only raise the age that people start smoking, and would not break the cycle of addiction and disadvantage.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 22648 on Smoking: Public Places, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent local authorities from introducing byelaws on smoking restrictions that go further than provided for in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill and byelaw reform commitments outlined in the English Devolution White Paper are both subject to public consultation, and we will consider all views.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to include cancer prevention within the National Cancer Plan.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Government has been clear that there should be a national cancer plan, and we are now in discussions about what form it should take, including the role of prevention in the work to reduce the lives lost to cancer. We will develop and publish the 10-Year Health Plan before publishing a new national cancer plan, and will provide updates in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of primary and secondary prevention within a holistic approach to improving cancer outcomes. With this aim, the plan will set out how we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and research.

Work is already underway on cancer prevention, with extensive programmes across vaccination, screening, and education, which have the potential to support both reductions in cases of cancer, and increases in early diagnosis rates. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has led to a substantial reduction in cervical cancer cases. All children aged 12 to 13 years old, those in Year 8, are offered the HPV vaccine, and NHS England is taking action to increase uptake. In addition, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of HPV infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.

Smoking is the cause of 72% of all lung cancers, and the diagnosis of lung cancer at an earlier stage helps to achieve better results, as there is a wider range of treatment options which can be curative. In response to this, the Government is committed to creating a smoke-free generation through the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The latest data shows that the Targeted Lung Screening Programme contributed to an 8% increase in the early diagnosis of lung cancer compared to the pre-pandemic rate.

However, the Government recognises that there is much more to be done on cancer prevention, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies, in the development of the national cancer plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle addiction issues in under 18s.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The most effective and sustainable approach to tackling addiction in children and young people is by giving them the best start in life and by keeping them safe, well, and happy. Our mission-based approach will ensure that every child has the best start in life and that we create the healthiest generation of children ever.

Statutory guidance on relationships, sex, and health education requires all primary and secondary schools to ensure that pupils know the key facts and risks associated with alcohol and drug use, smoking, vaping, and gambling, as well as how to manage influences and pressure, and to keep themselves healthy and safe.

The Department has worked with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Association to develop the lesson plans on alcohol and drugs, and has commissioned an update of the resources to be published later this year. Further information is available at the following link:

https://pshe-association.org.uk/drugeducation

The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents and concerned others. Further information on Talk to FRANK is available at the following link:

https://www.talktofrank.com/

In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery, which includes funding for services for children and young people with, or at risk of developing, alcohol and/or drug problems. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly.

The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England in 2024/25, which includes adults and under 18 year olds, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. The Government will also provide a further £70 million of funding for Stop Smoking Services in 2025/26.

While vaping can be an effective way for adult smokers to quit smoking, children should never vape. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will break the cycle of addiction and protect children from future harm by banning the advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products, and will provide powers to regulate their flavours and packaging, and will change how and where they are displayed in shops. The bill will bring about definitive and positive change to stop future generations from becoming hooked on nicotine. It will create the first smoke-free generation, and will ensure that children turning 16 years old this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco.

The Government is committed to reducing gambling-related harm through regulatory reform to strengthen protections. We continue to work with Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the National Health Service, and other delivery partners to consider how best to achieve this. Since 2019, treatment and support for under 18 year old’s experiencing gambling-related harm has been available through the NHS National Gambling Clinic.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Material Focus study entitled Big puff vapes are surging onto the market adding to the vape environmental crisis, published on 16 December 2024, and whether he plans to take steps to tackle the popularity of high puff-count vapes amongst 16 to 34 year olds.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

Selling nicotine vapes to children under 18 years old is illegal. Yet due to the branding and advertising of vapes to children, one-in-four children aged between 11 and 15 years old tried vaping in 2023. The health advice is clear, that vaping is never recommended for children or non-smokers.

Single-use vapes are playing a significant role in the rise of youth vaping; in 2024, 54% of current vapers aged between 11 and 17 years old in Great Britain were using them, increasing from 7.7% in 2021. The Department of Health and Social Care is aware of the issues regarding ‘big-puff’ vapes, including those raised in the study referenced.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has laid legislation to ban the sale of single-use disposable vapes in England from 1 June 2025. Most ‘big puff’ vapes currently on the market are neither refillable or rechargeable, which means that they will be captured by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ forthcoming ban.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the advertising and sponsorship of all vapes and nicotine products. It will also provide regulation making powers to limit the flavours and packaging of vapes and nicotine products, as well as how these products are displayed.

The Bill also provides powers that allow the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability. In addition, the Bill contains powers that allow us to regulate the amount of nicotine in a puff, so the Government is able to restrict the nicotine not only in the tank, but also the nicotine that can be emitted in the vapour.

Future vaping regulations will be accompanied by impact assessments when the secondary legislation is laid.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of provisions within the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on trends in the level of usage of very high puff-count vapes among young people.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

Selling nicotine vapes to children under 18 years old is illegal. Yet due to the branding and advertising of vapes to children, one-in-four children aged between 11 and 15 years old tried vaping in 2023. The health advice is clear, that vaping is never recommended for children or non-smokers.

Single-use vapes are playing a significant role in the rise of youth vaping; in 2024, 54% of current vapers aged between 11 and 17 years old in Great Britain were using them, increasing from 7.7% in 2021. The Department of Health and Social Care is aware of the issues regarding ‘big-puff’ vapes, including those raised in the study referenced.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has laid legislation to ban the sale of single-use disposable vapes in England from 1 June 2025. Most ‘big puff’ vapes currently on the market are neither refillable or rechargeable, which means that they will be captured by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ forthcoming ban.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the advertising and sponsorship of all vapes and nicotine products. It will also provide regulation making powers to limit the flavours and packaging of vapes and nicotine products, as well as how these products are displayed.

The Bill also provides powers that allow the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability. In addition, the Bill contains powers that allow us to regulate the amount of nicotine in a puff, so the Government is able to restrict the nicotine not only in the tank, but also the nicotine that can be emitted in the vapour.

Future vaping regulations will be accompanied by impact assessments when the secondary legislation is laid.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of very high-puff count vapes on trends in the level of youth vaping.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

Selling nicotine vapes to children under 18 years old is illegal. Yet due to the branding and advertising of vapes to children, one-in-four children aged between 11 and 15 years old tried vaping in 2023. The health advice is clear, that vaping is never recommended for children or non-smokers.

Single-use vapes are playing a significant role in the rise of youth vaping; in 2024, 54% of current vapers aged between 11 and 17 years old in Great Britain were using them, increasing from 7.7% in 2021. The Department of Health and Social Care is aware of the issues regarding ‘big-puff’ vapes, including those raised in the study referenced.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has laid legislation to ban the sale of single-use disposable vapes in England from 1 June 2025. Most ‘big puff’ vapes currently on the market are neither refillable or rechargeable, which means that they will be captured by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ forthcoming ban.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the advertising and sponsorship of all vapes and nicotine products. It will also provide regulation making powers to limit the flavours and packaging of vapes and nicotine products, as well as how these products are displayed.

The Bill also provides powers that allow the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability. In addition, the Bill contains powers that allow us to regulate the amount of nicotine in a puff, so the Government is able to restrict the nicotine not only in the tank, but also the nicotine that can be emitted in the vapour.

Future vaping regulations will be accompanied by impact assessments when the secondary legislation is laid.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 99 of the English Devolution White Paper, CP 1218, whether councils will be able to ban smoking in public places under the new byelaw powers.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government will work with councils to determine how byelaws should be made and whether byelaw making powers should be extended to Strategic Authorities, as set out in the English Devolution White Paper.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will extend smoke-free designation to outdoor places including outside schools, children’s playgrounds and hospitals but not to outdoor hospitality settings or wider open spaces like beaches. The proposed reforms under the Bill will be subject to a full consultation, and we want to hear the views of people from across the country on this to ensure we get it right. As drafted, the Bill does not give any additional powers to local authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to regulate the advertising of vapes in local vape shops on high streets so that they do not appeal to children.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

We know that vapes and other nicotine products are being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children. This must be stopped to protect future generations from being hooked on nicotine. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been introduced to Parliament, and bans vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine. The bill will ban all forms of advertising of vaping and other nicotine products, including in local vape shops, as well as sponsorship agreements which promote them.

We must also reduce the visibility and accessibility of vapes to protect children and non-smokers from getting hooked on nicotine. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will provide powers to introduce future regulations on where and how vapes and other nicotine products can be displayed, including in the windows and inside local vape shops.

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2024-25: Progress of the Bill

Found: Report Stage: Wednesday 5 March 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Tuesday 4 March 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Wednesday 26 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This

Found: Report Stage: Tuesday 25 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Friday 21 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Thursday 20 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2024-25: Progress of the Bill

Found: Report Stage: Thursday 13 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This

Found: 2025, the Northern Ireland Assembly agreed a Legislative Consent Motion relating to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Report Stage: Monday 10 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Friday 7 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Thursday 6 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Report Stage: Monday 3 February 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill, As Amended (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 30 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Committee Stage Decisions) This

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 30 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill 304 3 Omit section 102.

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill EXPLANATORY NOTES Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department

Found: Hill Road, Newbridge, Edinburgh, EH28 8PH 24 th January 2025 Subject: Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: 1 Public Bill Committee Tobacco and Vapes Bill By email: scrutiny@parliament.uk January

Found: Written evidence response: Tobacco and Vapes Bill, January 2025 Page 1 of 6 The Association

Found: The British Paediatric Respiratory Society (BPRS) supports the overarching aims of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: evidence submitted by Professor John Holloway, University of Southampton (TVB87) Response to Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: 1 Submission To The Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee Vendi Tech Unit 8, Millbrook

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Supplementary written evidence submitted by NASUWT (TVB85) NASUWT is The Teachers

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by Resolve ASB (TVB97) January 2025 About us Resolve

Found: following statements made by Dr Beccy Cooper MP at the recent Eleventh Committee Sitting for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Date: 29 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2024-25 Executive Summary Australian Association

Found: Written evidence on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, submitted by Dr Johannes Kniess, Senior Lecturer

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by Robert Sidebottom (TVB84) I have worked in the vaping

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by Bristol City Council (BCC) (TVB83) Executive summary

Found: Committee Stage: Wednesday 29 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: 30 January 2025 TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL Chair’s provisional selection and grouping of amendments in

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 28 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Committee Stage Decisions) This document

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by Asthma + Lung UK (TVB74) House of Commons Public

Found: Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Collaborative (Champs) (TVB76) Written evidence to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Analysis of Potential Unintended Consequences of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill The Tobacco

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 28 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: 28 January 2025 TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL Chair’s provisional selection and grouping of amendments

Found: Committee Stage: Monday 27 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Committee Stage: Friday 24 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 23 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Committee Stage Decisions) This

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 23 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Committee Stage: Wednesday 22 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: 23 January 2025 TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL Chair’s provisional selection and grouping of amendments in

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 21 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Committee Stage Decisions) This document

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 21 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written Evidence Submitted by the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control to the

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by the North East Public Protection Partnership (TVB66

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by the Royal College of Physicians (TVB67) Tobacco

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written Evidence Submitted by ASH Wales Cymru to the Tobacco and Vapes Public

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written Evidence Submitted by Campaign for Children’s Lung Health (CCLH) to

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written Evidence Submitted by Prof Jon Berrick to the Tobacco and Vapes

Found: Smoking and Health Scotland) for the UK Parliament’s Public Bill Committee regarding the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted for the Public Bill Committee on the Tobacco and Vapes

Found: Commons London SW1A 0AA Dear Chairs, Following our written evidence contributed to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by the Institute of Licensing to the Tobacco and Vapes

Found: Committee Stage: Friday 17 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: 21 January 2025 TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL Chair’s provisional selection and grouping of amendments

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 16 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Committee Stage Decisions) This

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 16 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Call for Evidence PML Response 14 January 2025 Introduction Philip Morris

Found: 16 January 2025 TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL Chair’s provisional selection and grouping of amendments in

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written Evidence Submitted by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD

Found: Committee Stage: Wednesday 15 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 14 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Committee Stage Decisions) This document

Found: 14 January 2025 TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL Chair’s provisional selection and grouping of amendments

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 14 January 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Amendment Paper) This document lists

Found: specialist tobacconists, we urge the government to reconsider the inclusion of OTPs within the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Orchant, Founder and Director of C.Gars Ltd, to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee on Tobacco and Vapes (Bill

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by the National Fire Chief Council to the Tobacco and

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written svidence Submitted by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) to the

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by Priyesh Vekaria, OneStop - Carlton Convenience (

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by Gurpal Jhutty, Nisa Local, Leamington Spa (TVB52

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Written evidence submitted by the Tobacco Control Research Group, University of

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee Stage, House of Commons January 2025 About the BMA The BMA

Found: The research coincides with the world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill which will clamp down on youth vaping

Found: of engagement it has with UK Hospitality, particularly on impact assessments such as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Legislative Consent Memorandum: delegated powers relevant to Scotland in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill A

Found: four nations ’ public consultation which ultimately led to the publication of the UK wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Correspondence regarding Tobacco and Vapes Bill: FOI release

Found: Correspondence regarding Tobacco and Vapes Bill: FOI release

Found: Scotland E: [Redacted s.38(1)(b)] Dear Mr First Minister Following the fall of the Tobacco and vapes Bill

Found: PfG: Collaborate across the four nations on banning the sale of single use vapes and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: from the industry to a consultation on measures within former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reportedly growing issue of retailers selling nicotine products to children.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

Scottish Ministers are concerned about the use of novel nicotine products such as nicotine pouches and, in particular, their appeal to children and young people.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will introduce a range of restrictions – for example around age of sale and advertising- applicable to these products, taking on board concerns raised by members previously about novel products becoming more prevalent on the market and their appeal to children and young people.

The purchase of vaping products is already age restricted and it is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18. Trading Officers are using every tool at their disposal - including fixed penalty notices - to ensure retailers are not selling vaping products to under 18s. Border Force and HMRC also have an important role to control the illicit vape trade and we continue to work with them on this.

We are currently the only nation in the UK with a functioning Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Register. The Tobacco and Vaping Framework set out our intention to consider how the register could be improved. A refreshed digital product went live in January 2025. This will ensure that the register is a more effective and efficient tool for enforcement as well as for engagement with retailers on compliance with current and future legislation.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current legislative framework is appropriate for tackling the reportedly growing issue of retailers selling nicotine products to children.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

The purchase of vaping and tobacco products is age restricted. It is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18.

Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework, launched in 2023, is our roadmap to 2034 and a tobacco free Scotland.

Our Framework is underpinned by a wide range of legislation including legislation to support the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers. We recently launched a new digital Register platform which will help to ensure accurate data and help Trading Standards with enforcement of current and future regulations.

A key strand of the first implementation plan of the Framework is the work that has taken place across the four nations on creating a smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping, which has led to the introduction of the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Measures within the Bill include the introduction of a wide definition of a nicotine product, which is designed to cover products currently on the market such as nicotine pouches, as well as any future nicotine products. If passed with the consent of the Scottish Parliament the Bill will make it an offence to sell all nicotine products to under 18’s, stopping the next generation from becoming addicted.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will also expand both the register and enforcement powers to cover herbal smoking products and nicotine products.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported rise in youth vaping rates, including any targeted campaigns aimed at rural areas.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

Within our 24/25 Programme for Government we committed to working across the four nations on banning the sale of single use vapes (SUV) as well as the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

SUV’s have been linked to a rapid increase in the number of young people vaping, particularly due to their low price. The SUV ban will be implemented from 1 June 2025 in line with the rest of the UK.

If passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, will restrict the promotion, advertisement and brand sharing of vapes.

Our Scotland-wide ‘Take Hold’ marketing campaign educated parents, carers and children about the dangers of vaping and increased the awareness of the harms and risks of nicotine addiction. It also contained a school toolkit.

We continue to work with Young Scot to support young people to understand the risks of using tobacco and nicotine products, and raise awareness of available cessation services and avenues to support young people to stop smoking/vaping.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle public health issues in (a) general and (b) relation to (i) alcohol consumption, (ii) unhealthy diets and (iii) smoking, in light of recently published data from the Office for National Statistics, which reportedly found that Scotland has some of the lowest life expectancy rates in the UK.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

The Scottish Government continues to adopt a comprehensive approach to address public health issues focusing on early prevention, reducing inequalities and creating the conditions to support people to lead healthier lifestyles.

This includes addressing the underlying drivers of heath inequalities by continuing to allocate around £3 billion a year in 2024-25 to a range of actions to tackle poverty and mitigate the impacts of the ongoing cost-of-living-crisis. This includes funding for free bus travel, the provision of early learning and childcare, as well as providing direct financial support through the likes of the Scottish Child Payment.

The Scottish Government has taken clear action to improve population health including continuing and increasing Minimum Unit Pricing of alcohol – estimated to have saved hundreds of lives - and delivery under our Tobacco and Vaping Framework including ongoing work on the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill to create a smokefree generation.

We are taking action to improve diet and increase physical activity. This includes ongoing work to consider restrictions on promotions of high fat, salt and sugar foods under our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, and promoting active lifestyles through our Physical Activity for Health Framework.

Furthermore, to address long term population health challenges work is ongoing to produce a Population Health Framework in partnership with COSLA and in collaboration with our wider partners. This will set out a whole system approach on population health seeking and key actions that seek to improve population health.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the introduction of a licensing scheme in Scotland for the sale of vaping products would help tackle youth access to, and illicit imports of, vaping products.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

In line with Tobacco and Vaping Framework, work is underway to improve the technical infrastructure of the existing register of tobacco and nicotine vapour product retailers, which has been welcomed by stakeholders. We plan to continue to review the register going forward.

At this time the Scottish Government’s view is that introducing a licensing scheme would put undue pressure on local authorities and the retail sector.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will expand Scotland’s existing registration scheme to include retailers selling herbal smoking products and nicotine products.

The purchase of vaping products is age restricted. It is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18. In Scotland, local authorities already have powers to issue fixed penalty notices to retailers and individuals who commit offences related to the age of sale.

We work with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland on enforcement of existing legislation, including around underage sales and illicit tobacco and vapes. We also work with HMRC and Border Force who undertake intelligence led action to tackle the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products at the border.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the reported issue that e-cigarette or vaping device use was most prevalent among those aged 16 to 24 (22%), an increase of seven percentage points since 2022.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

Within our 2024-25 Programme for Government we committed to working across the four nations on banning the sale of single use vapes (SUV) as well as the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill. SUV’s have been linked to a rapid increase in the number of young people vaping, particularly due to their low price. The SUV ban will be implemented from 1 June 2025 in line with the rest of the UK. If passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, will restrict the promotion, advertisement and brandsharing of vapes.

Our ‘Take Hold’ marketing campaign educates parents, carers and children about the dangers of vaping and increased the awareness of the harms and risks of nicotine addiction.

We continue to work with Young Scot to support young people to understand the risks of using tobacco and nicotine products, and raise awareness of available cessation services and avenues to support young people to stop smoking/vaping.

Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework recognises that price can be a critical factor in people’s decisions on starting to smoke and vape. The Scottish Government welcomes the UK Government’s commitment in the Autumn budget to introduce a duty on vapes from 2026 while ensuring the price differential between tobacco and vapes will be maintained.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the introduction of the UK Government Tobacco and Vapes Bill on 5 November 2024, what plans it has to introduce (a) a licensing scheme and (b) regulations regarding the sale of vaping products by retailers in Scotland, to tackle youth access and ensure that any poor-quality, illicit and illegal imports of vaping products can be restricted.  

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

Scotland has a long-established and functioning register of tobacco and nicotine vapour product retailers. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will expand Scotland’s existing registration scheme to include retailers selling herbal smoking products and nicotine products.

The Scottish Government’s view is that introducing a licensing system at this time would put undue pressure on local authorities and the retail sector. In line with our Tobacco and Vaping Framework, the technical infrastructure of the register is being improved, which has been welcomed by stakeholders.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will ban the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of vapes including non-nicotine vapes and nicotine products that are currently not captured in a similar way to existing restrictions on the advertisement of tobacco products. The Bill, if passed, will also ban the free distribution, nominal pricing and substantial discounting of vapes to anyone of any age. This will ensure that retailers do not use this as an alternative way to promote their products.

The Bill, if passed, will also provide a number of powers to Scottish Ministers to regulate the display of vaping products and their prices, as well as the display of empty retail packaging or anything that represents the products, in retailers in Scotland. Further consultation will be undertaken before making regulations under this power.

Additionally the Bill, if passed, also provides powers for the Secretary of State to make regulations about the quality, safety and product standards to be met for production, sale or importation of vaping products, as well as their packaging, the features, and their flavours. These powers can only be exercised to make regulations containing devolved provision if the Secretary of State obtains the consent of the Scottish Ministers.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent action it has taken to reduce the number of non-smokers, particularly young people, taking up vaping.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

The Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vaping Framework, published in November 2023, committed to taking action to reduce vaping among non-smokers and young people.

Alongside the Framework, we launched the Take Hold marketing campaign which successfully increased parents, carers and young people’s awareness of the harms and risks of nicotine addiction from vaping. New resources were also launched on Parent Club, NHS Inform and Young Scot on vaping.

The Scottish Government is committed to aligning with a four-nation approach towards banning the sale and supply of single-use vapes.

In order to align with timescales recently announced by the Welsh and UK governments and provide consistency across the four nations, the Scottish Government will lay legislation to amend the coming into force date in the Scottish regulations banning the sale and supply of these vapes recently passed by the Scottish Parliament from 1 April 2025 to 1 June 2025.

We continue to work closely across the four-nations on the development of the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill to ensure that it reflects Scotland’s public health ambitions and remain hopeful this will be reintroduced as soon as possible.

Found: during Q4 2024 Bill title Date memorandum lodged Consent recommendation by Scottish Government Tobacco and Vapes Bill