Found: Parliamentary under-Secretary for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health, regarding the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Submission by JTI UK on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Scrutiny evidence

Found: Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Baroness Merron (Dept of Health and Social Care) re: Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: action to tackle behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular disease including the ambitious Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: If you take the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, there is very widespread public support for it across the political

Found: Public Bill Committee Resolved, That the Com mittee appoint Members to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee

Found: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will phase out the sale of tobacco to future generations by raising the age

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 he is taking to help tackle the sale of illegal nicotine pouches.

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

In Great Britain, nicotine pouches are currently regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, meaning they are subject to general product safety requirements enforced by Trading Standards, including labelling with safety information and warnings about nicotine's addictive nature.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will enhance the regulation of nicotine pouches by providing powers to restrict product packaging and flavours. Powers in the bill will also allow the Government to limit the amount of nicotine in a pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful.

The Government is taking a range of action to tackle illegal nicotine pouches and protect young people from potential harms. The bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers by enabling the introduction of a retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The bill also provides powers to develop a new registration system for all tobacco, vape, and nicotine products. This will help Trading Standards to enforce our rules on product requirements and support improving consumer safety.

Alongside the bill, the Government has announced £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 to Trading Standards, to tackle illicit and underage sales, and to support the implementation of the measures in the bill. This funding will be used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by recruiting approximately 80 new apprentices.

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 reduce the correlation between deprivation and lung conditions.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.

More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow for earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.

It is the most disadvantaged who suffer the most from the financial and health burden of smoking, with 230,000 households living in smoking induced poverty, and with smoking being the number one cause of preventable death, disability, and ill health, claiming the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom, as well as being the leading cause of lung cancer. The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will create the first smoke-free generation, ending the cycle of addiction and disadvantage, and putting us on track to a smoke-free UK.

The NHS England Core20PLUS5 approach strives to inform action that targets the most deprived 20% of the population and other inclusion health groups, with the aim of reducing health inequalities.

The approach focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement, those being cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory, maternity, and mental health outcomes, in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other disadvantaged population groups identified at a local level.

The Department is also working across Government on ways to reduce the health harms of air pollution, including with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to support their plans for cleaner air, so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the introduction of a retailer licensing scheme, as outlined in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation—tackling the harms of smoking, breaking the cycle of addition, and paving the way for a smoke-free UK. The Bill provides powers for Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes and nicotine products. This will strengthen enforcement and support Trading Standards to crack down on rogue retailers.

The licensing scheme will be introduced in regulations, following consultation on the details of the scheme.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, and will continue to do so as the regulations are developed, to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme.

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 tackle the sale of illegal vapes in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

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

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers by enabling ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products. The bill also enables the introduction of a new registration scheme for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products sold in the United Kingdom’s market. This will help ensure products are compliant with product safety standard requirements, and enable Trading Standards to remove non-compliant products from the market quickly and efficiently.

In 2025/26 we will invest £10 million of new funding into Trading Standards, to enhance their work in tackling the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes, and to support the implementation of the bill. This funding will be used to recruit approximately 80 new regionally coordinated apprentices in England. This will benefit all regions, including the East Midlands, which covers South Holland and the Deepings and Lincolnshire.

The introduction of a new Vaping Products Duty in October 2026 will provide civil and criminal powers for HM Revenue and Customs to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit vapes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to implement the Tobacco and Vapes Bill across all parts of the United Kingdom.

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

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is United Kingdom-wide, and has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Department of Health and Social Care in England will work with the devolved administrations to implement the measures in the bill, including future regulations, once the bill receives Royal Assent.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that outdoor hospitality areas remain outside the scope of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

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

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will put us on track towards a smoke-free UK, was introduced to Parliament on 5 November 2024. On 26 March 2025, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of advancing the Bill to the next Parliamentary stage and it has now entered the House of Lords.

The Bill allows us to expand current indoor smoking restrictions to outdoor public places and workplaces. However, we have been very clear that in England, we intend to consult on extending smoke-free places to outside schools, children’s playgrounds and hospitals but not outdoor hospitality settings or wider open spaces like beaches. Private outdoor spaces are out of scope of the powers in the Bill.

We do not intend to extend these powers further than this at this time and recognise that now would not be the right time to consult on making outdoor hospitality settings smoke-free in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill does not lead to (a) restrictions and (b) bans on smoking in outside areas of hospitality businesses.

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

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will put us on track towards a smoke-free UK, was introduced to Parliament on 5 November 2024. On 26 March 2025, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of advancing the Bill to the next Parliamentary stage and it has now entered the House of Lords.

The Bill allows us to expand current indoor smoking restrictions to outdoor public places and workplaces. However, we have been very clear that in England, we intend to consult on extending smoke-free places to outside schools, children’s playgrounds and hospitals but not outdoor hospitality settings or wider open spaces like beaches. Private outdoor spaces are out of scope of the powers in the Bill.

We do not intend to extend these powers further than this at this time and recognise that now would not be the right time to consult on making outdoor hospitality settings smoke-free in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce restrictions on the flavours and packaging of nicotine pouches.

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

Data from August 2024 by ASH suggests that 1.2% of children aged between 11 and 18 years old currently use nicotine pouches. The Government is concerned that these products, just like vapes, are being branded and marketed to appeal to children through colourful packaging and flavours. There is currently no set nicotine limit for nicotine pouches, and nicotine strengths vary from two milligrams per pouch to as high as 150 milligrams per pouch.

That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to people aged 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.

These powers will also allow the Government to limit the amount of nicotine in a pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful in a pouch. We will therefore be able to regulate, subject to consultation, to ensure that nicotine pouches are limited to an appropriate strength.

We will consult on these regulations as soon as possible once the bill has received Royal Assent.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle the rise in illegal high-strength nicotine pouches.

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

Data from August 2024 by ASH suggests that 1.2% of children aged between 11 and 18 years old currently use nicotine pouches. The Government is concerned that these products, just like vapes, are being branded and marketed to appeal to children through colourful packaging and flavours. There is currently no set nicotine limit for nicotine pouches, and nicotine strengths vary from two milligrams per pouch to as high as 150 milligrams per pouch.

That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to people aged 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.

These powers will also allow the Government to limit the amount of nicotine in a pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful in a pouch. We will therefore be able to regulate, subject to consultation, to ensure that nicotine pouches are limited to an appropriate strength.

We will consult on these regulations as soon as possible once the bill has received Royal Assent.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many hospital admissions for preventable cardiovascular disease there have been in each of the past three years.

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

The Department does not hold data on the number of admissions for cardiovascular disease which are preventable. However, we know that up to 70% of cardiovascular disease is preventable and linked to behavioural, metabolic, and environmental risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, living with obesity, and air pollution.

The Government is tackling the root cause of preventable heart disease and stroke through the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, implementing advertising regulations for less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, and giving councils stronger, clearer powers to block the development of new fast-food shops near schools.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health implications of using nicotine pouches, particularly for oral health.

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

Data from August 2024 by ASH suggests that 1.2% of children aged between 11 and 18 years old currently use nicotine pouches. A copy of the report in which this data is contained is attached.

There is currently limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches, including implications for oral health. However, they are never recommended for children. Nicotine, the active ingredient in pouches, is a highly addicted drug, and we have a duty to protect children and young people from future harm and addiction. Advice on the health impacts of nicotine can be found on the Talk to Frank website.

That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.

We will continue to monitor the use of these products and will update public health guidance and messaging accordingly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children and young people using nicotine pouches.

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

Data from August 2024 by ASH suggests that 1.2% of children aged between 11 and 18 years old currently use nicotine pouches. A copy of the report in which this data is contained is attached.

There is currently limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches, including implications for oral health. However, they are never recommended for children. Nicotine, the active ingredient in pouches, is a highly addicted drug, and we have a duty to protect children and young people from future harm and addiction. Advice on the health impacts of nicotine can be found on the Talk to Frank website.

That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.

We will continue to monitor the use of these products and will update public health guidance and messaging accordingly.

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 a ban on the (a) marketing and (b) advertising of (i) e-cigarette and vaping products, (ii) non-medically licensed nicotine products and (iii) heated tobacco products on the number of adults switching from cigarettes to alternatives.

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

The health advice is clear that vaping is only recommended for adult smokers who wish to quit smoking. Youth vaping has more than doubled in the last five years with one in four children aged between 11 and 15 years old having tried vaping in 2023. It is unacceptable that vapes are deliberately promoted and advertised to children, and this must be stopped to prevent future generations from being hooked on nicotine.

The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products.

Public health messaging and campaigns will continue to support the promotion of vapes as a quit aid for smokers, as outlined on the Better Health and National Health Service websites. Additionally, the Government is committed to supporting smokers to quit, through a range of services. We are investing an additional £70 million in 2025/26 for local Stop Smoking Services in England and are working to ensure all NHS hospitals offer ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation purposes.

All tobacco products are harmful to health. There is evidence of toxicity from heated tobacco in laboratory studies. The aerosol generated by heated tobacco also contains carcinogens, and there will be a risk to the health of anyone using these products.

The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, and that prohibition applies to tobacco products intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked or chewed. It is the Department’s view that the legislation applies to any tobacco product, regardless of when it was developed, and that heated tobacco products and the heating device to be used with it are caught under this legislation.

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 tackle the sale of illegal vapes in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen the enforcement of vape sales regulations by giving Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland the ability to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes and nicotine products. The licensing scheme will support Trading Standards to crack down on rogue vape retailers. The Bill also enables the introduction of a new registration scheme for tobacco, vape and nicotine products sold on the United Kingdom market. This will help ensure products are compliant with product safety and standards requirements and will enable Trading Standards to remove non-compliant products from the market quickly and efficiently.

In 2025/26, we will invest £10 million of new funding in Trading Standards to enhance their work to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes, and support the implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The introduction of a new Vaping Products Duty in October 2026 will provide civil and criminal powers for HM Revenue and Customs to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit vape products.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes.

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

The Government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the Health Mission sets an ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. The Department held a symposium on heart disease and stroke on 13 March 2025 where charities, patient advocacy groups, clinicians, think-tanks and other experts discussed how to deliver on the ambition.

We are tackling the root cause of preventable heart disease and stroke by introducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, implementing the advertising regulations for less healthy food and drink on television and online, and empowering councils to block the development of new fast-food shops outside schools.

To improve access to the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme, we are developing a new NHS Heath Check Online tool so that people can have a check at a time and place convenient to them to understand and act on their CVD risk.

Furthermore, we are trialling a new workplace CVD check which will deliver more than 130,000 lifesaving heart health checks in the workplace.

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 merits of introducing mandatory healthiness targets for large supermarket retailers.

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

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children and tackling the three biggest killers which will require effort from across society on not just obesity but alcohol and smoking. We have made a start with Tobacco and Vapes Bill and will continue to speak to partners across industry and civic society to best understand what actions help to change behaviours in a way that puts power in the hands of consumers.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to achieving our health mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, and under the 10-Year Health Plan to shift from ‘sickness to prevention’. Making the healthier choice the easier choice is a major part of creating a food environment that is fairer, with the fewest lives lost to the biggest killers and where everyone lives well for longer. Obesity is one of the key drivers of ill health, economic inactivity and premature mortality, as highlighted in the recently published Get Britain Working White Paper.

As part of considerations around mandatory healthiness targets, the Food Data Transparency Partnership (FDTP) was created prior to the 2024 General Election; this was a shared programme of work across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, and the Food Standards Agency. The FDTP was paused at the election and is being reviewed alongside other obesity policies.

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 (a) safety and (b) regulation of (i) snus and (ii) nicotine pouches.

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

Oral tobacco, otherwise known as snus, has been banned in the United Kingdom and the European Union since 1992. All tobacco products are harmful to health, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that smokeless tobacco is carcinogenic to humans. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill re-enacts the existing ban in a way that is more comprehensive, clearer, and more accessible for the relevant parties, such as retailers and enforcement agencies. We have no intention of allowing a banned and harmful product into the UK market.

There is currently limited research and evidence into the harms of nicotine pouches. However, they are never recommended for children. Nicotine, the active ingredient in pouches, is a highly addicted drug, and we have a duty to protect children and young people from future harm and addiction. Advice on the health impacts of nicotine can be found on the Talk to Frank website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/nicotine

That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are banning the advertisement and sponsorship of these products, introducing age of sale restrictions to 18 years old for nicotine pouches, banning free samples, and providing powers to restrict packaging, flavours, and point of sale displays.

Whilst the use of nicotine pouches is currently low among adults, it is increasingly popular with younger male audiences. We will continue to monitor the use of these products and will update public health guidance and messaging accordingly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of a ban on the (a) marketing and (b) advertising of (i) e-cigarette and vaping products, (ii) non-medically licensed nicotine products, and (iii) heated tobacco products on adult smokers switching from combustible cigarettes to alternatives.

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

The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products.

Public health messaging and campaigns will continue to support the promotion of vapes as a quit aid for smokers, as outlined on the Better Health and National Health Service websites. Additionally, through our national Swap to Stop scheme, we’re helping adult smokers to quit by providing up to one million vapes to local authorities.

The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, and that prohibition applies to tobacco products intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked, or chewed. The Department’s view is that heated tobacco is captured by this definition.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled 10-year study to shed light on youth vaping, published on 19 February 2025, what steps he plans to take to ensure all data reviewed is from the use of vapes compliant with UK regulations.

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

Due to the nicotine content and unknown long-term harms, vapes and nicotine products carry risks of harm and addiction, and this is particularly acute for adolescents whose brains are still developing.

The 10-year Adolescent Health Study (AHS) will follow a cohort of 100,000 eight to 18 year olds from across the United Kingdom and will provide further insights about the health consequences of vaping for young people. This will provide healthcare professionals and policymakers with the robust evidence they need to shape future policy. We will continue to engage with the AHS team during the study’s development.

Alongside this, we will continue to clamp down on illicit vapes and those which are not compliant with UK regulations. We have also committed to invest £10 million of new funding in 2025/26, to support Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit tobacco and vape sales.

Through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are also introducing powers to introduce a retail licensing scheme and create a more robust product registration scheme. A new registration scheme, along with stricter rules on testing and product requirements, will support a safe and legal market for tobacco and vape products, and will allow us to quickly identify illicit products which should not be on shelves.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department plans to provide for smoking cessation programmes in the 2025-26 financial year.

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

The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England in 2025/26. We will invest £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 to support Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit tobacco and vape sales, and to support the implementation of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The Government is also investing over £100 million over five years to boost HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force’s enforcement capabilities to tackle illicit tobacco, supporting the Illicit Tobacco Strategy. Decisions on other smoking cessation programmes will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the packaging of vapes to provide similar safeguards to that of cigarettes.

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

It is very worrying that approximately 25% of 11 to 15-year-olds have tried vaping, despite the risks of nicotine addiction. Evidence suggests that vapes appeal to children because of the brightly coloured packaging, amongst other child-friendly features. Evidence also indicates that the nicotine content descriptions on vape packaging are not consistent between packaging, preventing adults from making informed decisions on nicotine strength.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care with regulation-making powers to introduce new requirements on retail packaging, including for vaping products and nicotine products. There is a balance to be struck between reducing the appeal of vapes to non-smokers, particularly children, whilst considering the implications for adult smokers to ensure we can achieve the greatest possible impact.

It is our intention to regulate the appeal of vapes to children, whilst minimising the impact on adult smokers. We plan on consulting on the preferred options to get this balance right as soon as possible after the bill gains Royal Assent.

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.

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 tackle the sale of illegal vapes.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Government is taking concerted effort to tackle the import and sale of illicit vapes. This includes investing up to £3 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support National Trading Standards to deliver a range of enforcement interventions, including the removal of illicit products from the market and intervention at ports. The Government will expand on this by investing a further £30 million in 2025/26 to support tobacco and vapes enforcement action, £10 million of which will go towards bolstering Trading Standards’ ability to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes.

Alongside additional investment we are also taking legislative steps to tackle the illicit market. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides powers to introduce a new retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and to establish a new registration system for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products entering the United Kingdom market. We are also introducing a ban on the sale and supply of single use vapes under environmental legislation.

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 tackle the import of illegal vapes.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Government is taking concerted effort to tackle the import and sale of illicit vapes. This includes investing up to £3 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support National Trading Standards to deliver a range of enforcement interventions, including the removal of illicit products from the market and intervention at ports. The Government will expand on this by investing a further £30 million in 2025/26 to support tobacco and vapes enforcement action, £10 million of which will go towards bolstering Trading Standards’ ability to tackle illicit tobacco and vapes.

Alongside additional investment we are also taking legislative steps to tackle the illicit market. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides powers to introduce a new retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland for tobacco, vapes and nicotine products and to establish a new registration system for tobacco, vaping and nicotine products entering the United Kingdom market. We are also introducing a ban on the sale and supply of single use vapes under environmental legislation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help increase levels of awareness of the potential merits of switching to (a) vapes and (b) other alternatives to smoking among adult smokers, in the context of nicotine product display restrictions.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The youth vaping call for evidence, published in 2023, demonstrated that vape flavours are one of the main reasons that vapes appeal to children. However, we recognise that vape flavours can also be a consideration for adult smokers seeking to quit smoking.

That is why it is important we strike the balance between restricting vape flavours to reduce their appeal to young people, whilst ensuring vapes remain available for adult smokers as a smoking cessation tool. Before laying any regulations in Parliament, we will undertake a full public consultation to ensure we get this balance right, and consider the views of a range of stakeholders. We will also undertake a full impact assessment on any future flavour restrictions.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes regulation making powers to limit how nicotine products are displayed. These are also subject to consultation. Adult smokers will still be able to access vapes as well as other alternative methods to stop smoking. Vapes are commonly used alongside behavioural support within local Stop Smoking Services, helping thousands of adults each year to live healthier lives. In addition, our national Swap to Stop scheme is supporting adult smokers to swap cigarettes for vapes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of deterring adults who might otherwise smoke cigarettes from using flavoured vapes on public health.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The youth vaping call for evidence, published in 2023, demonstrated that vape flavours are one of the main reasons that vapes appeal to children. However, we recognise that vape flavours can also be a consideration for adult smokers seeking to quit smoking.

That is why it is important we strike the balance between restricting vape flavours to reduce their appeal to young people, whilst ensuring vapes remain available for adult smokers as a smoking cessation tool. Before laying any regulations in Parliament, we will undertake a full public consultation to ensure we get this balance right, and consider the views of a range of stakeholders. We will also undertake a full impact assessment on any future flavour restrictions.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes regulation making powers to limit how nicotine products are displayed. These are also subject to consultation. Adult smokers will still be able to access vapes as well as other alternative methods to stop smoking. Vapes are commonly used alongside behavioural support within local Stop Smoking Services, helping thousands of adults each year to live healthier lives. In addition, our national Swap to Stop scheme is supporting adult smokers to swap cigarettes for vapes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional powers will be made available to law enforcement officers to penalise (a) barber shops, (b) off-licences, (c) bookmakers, (d) pubs and (e) other non-grocery and non-newsagent premises illegally selling tobacco products as a result of the implementation of a generational ban on tobacco sales.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce around 80,000 preventable deaths and reduce the burden on the National Health Service and on the taxpayer.

Whilst the published impact assessment on the Bill makes no specific assessment of the potential impact on the illegal sale of tobacco products in non-grocery and non-newsagent premises, we expect most retailers who sell tobacco, regardless of the type of business, to comply with the new and existing measures in the Bill. Further impact assessments will be prepared in advance of secondary legislation, including for a future licensing scheme, which aims to crack down on rogue retailers.

The Bill takes bold action to strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers who break the law regardless of the type of business. It introduces new £200 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), in England and Wales, to support Trading Standards Officers to take swifter enforcement action by issuing on-the-spot fines rather than needing to go through lengthy court processes. Trading Standards will be able to issue a £200 FPN for a range of offences, including to anyone who illegally sells tobacco products to someone underage.

The Bill also provides powers for Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco products, herbal smoking products, cigarette papers, vaping, and nicotine products. The licensing scheme will support legitimate businesses, act as a deterrent to rogue retailers and provide enforcement agencies with further opportunities to bring penalties against these retailers. We will consult on the details of the licensing scheme ahead of introducing regulations, including the types of business which may hold a licence and the licence conditions.

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 the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on the illegal sale of tobacco products in (a) non-grocery and (b) non-newsagent premises.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce around 80,000 preventable deaths and reduce the burden on the National Health Service and on the taxpayer.

Whilst the published impact assessment on the Bill makes no specific assessment of the potential impact on the illegal sale of tobacco products in non-grocery and non-newsagent premises, we expect most retailers who sell tobacco, regardless of the type of business, to comply with the new and existing measures in the Bill. Further impact assessments will be prepared in advance of secondary legislation, including for a future licensing scheme, which aims to crack down on rogue retailers.

The Bill takes bold action to strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers who break the law regardless of the type of business. It introduces new £200 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), in England and Wales, to support Trading Standards Officers to take swifter enforcement action by issuing on-the-spot fines rather than needing to go through lengthy court processes. Trading Standards will be able to issue a £200 FPN for a range of offences, including to anyone who illegally sells tobacco products to someone underage.

The Bill also provides powers for Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco products, herbal smoking products, cigarette papers, vaping, and nicotine products. The licensing scheme will support legitimate businesses, act as a deterrent to rogue retailers and provide enforcement agencies with further opportunities to bring penalties against these retailers. We will consult on the details of the licensing scheme ahead of introducing regulations, including the types of business which may hold a licence and the licence conditions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the Windsor Framework on any proposed UK wide smoking ban in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced on the 5 November 2024, has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as with other departments across the wider Government. We intend the smoke-free generation policy to apply United Kingdom-wide.

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill: HL Bill 89 of 2024–25

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

Found: The ban will complement the world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will tackle youth vaping and

Found: from illicit tobacco and vapes have been unveiled today (Sunday 22 March) as the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill

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

Found: The research follows the introduction of the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which recently passed Second

Found: the dental contract (Dentistry Rescue Plan) (Department of Health and Social Care) • the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

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

Found: Letter dated 25/03/2025 from Ashley Dalton MP to MPs regarding issues raised in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: youth smoking and underage vaping in all 4 nations of the UK through the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: delegated powers exercisable within devolved competence conferred on Scottish Ministers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Regulation and Metrology Bill (UK Parliament legislation) • Data (Use and Access) Bill • Tobacco and Vapes Bill

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

Found: The UK Government has now reintroduced the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will set out provisions

Found: ConferenceAndrew Gwynne MPTobacco and Vapes Policy2024-11-04 00:00:00Media / VirtualPre Recording for 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

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to implement the Respiratory Care Action Plan.

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

We are working with various delivery partners to implement the commitments in the Respiratory Care Action Plan (RCAP), which runs into 2026.

We established the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee to provide expert support to the implementation of the RCAP. The Committee identified three initial areas of focus: child to adult transition, pulmonary rehab and respiratory data.

The Committee’s Child to Adult Transitions subgroup has produced a set of recommendations to ensure children with asthma and other respiratory conditions have the best possible care and treatment as they move into adult service.

To improve the data available on respiratory conditions and ensure people with respiratory conditions are receiving the right care and support, we are working towards establishing a national audit programme for respiratory conditions. We aim to progress this with Public Health Scotland in 2025/2026.

In 2024, we published the Quality Prescribing Strategy for Respiratory: A Guide for Improvement 2024-2027 that sets out our ambitions for better access to respiratory care. This can be found here – https://www.gov.scot/publications/quality-prescribing-strategy-respiratory-guide-improvement-2024-2027/

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery based at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital is developing national patient pathways for respiratory conditions including severe asthma, COPD and sleep apnoea. This work aligns closely with the commitments in the RCAP.

The RCAP also recognises the importance of commitments under the Scottish Government’s Cleaner Air for Scotland and Warmer Homes Strategies and the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan in preventing respiratory disease.

We remain committed to a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034 and welcome the re-introduction of the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill to UK Parliament, which will help us to achieve our ambitious target.

We are supporting the introduction of Low Emission Zones to improve air quality and protect public health.

We are also committed to supporting those living in fuel poverty or at risk of fuel poverty through installing insulation and heating measures into individual properties, known as the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme. Since the launch of the first Warmer Homes Scotland scheme in 2015, the scheme has invested around £289 million and helped over 39,000 households across Scotland to live in warmer, healthier homes which are more affordable to heat through both phases of the scheme.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34303 by Jenni Minto on 18 February 2025, whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government (a) ministers and (b) officials regarding the provisions of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that might impact on Scotland.

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

I met with the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention on 04 November 2024 to discuss the Tobacco and Vapes Bill where I reaffirmed my support for this historic piece of legislation and highlighted how it could positively impact health inequalities in Scotland.

The Bill’s subsequent re-introduction on 5 November 2024 followed close collaborative work across the four nations over the content of the Bill. Officials across the four nations continue meet regularly to discuss the Bill to ensure coherence and alignment of policies, where this is possible and appropriate.

The Bill will gradually increase the age of sale for tobacco products and provide powers to legislate on vape flavours, displays, packaging, as well introduce an advertising ban for vapes and nicotine products. This will create a generational change, meaning that children born after 1 January 2009 will never legally be able to buy tobacco. This landmark legislation will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.

On 21 November 2024 a Legislative Consent Memorandum was introduced for consideration by the Scottish Parliament and I provided evidence to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on the Memorandum on 17 December 2024. I await the report from the Committee, and will then update Members and Committee on the next steps.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards its commitment in the Respiratory Care Action Plan to work with all relevant policy areas to ensure preventative measures are embedded in all aspects of respiratory care.

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

The Respiratory Care Action Plan contains broad commitments from a wide range of areas including increasing uptake of vaccines, ensuring people live in warm homes and improvement of air quality. We have made progress across a number of areas under these commitments, such as the Four Nations approach to tobacco.

Along with obesity, smoking represents a chief threat to Scotland's public health and we remain committed to a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034 and welcome the re-introduction of the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill to UK Parliament, which will help us to achieve our ambitious target.

The Bill will gradually increase the age of sale for tobacco products and provide powers to legislate on vape flavours, displays, packaging, as well introduce an advertising ban for vapes and nicotine products.

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.

Found: 2025 Partial consent recommended (i.e. consent to some, but not all, relevant provisions) Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 Legislative Consent Memorandums 2 Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 Legislative Consent Memorandums 2 Tobacco and Vapes Bill

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

Found: 9 January 2025 Dear colleague Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: The measures proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill fully complement this strategy and will enable Wales

Found: Research UK for the Health and Social Care Committee Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Social Care Committee’s scrutiny of the Legislative Consent Memorandum (“the LCM”) on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Senedd Health and Social Care Committee Scrutiny of the Legislative Consent Memorandum: Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Trading Standards Wales (TSW) represents

Found: the Senedd Health and Social Care Committee on the Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Health and Social Care Committee Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Philip

Found: Health and Social Care Committee’s call for comments on the Legislative Consent Memorandum Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Health and Social Care Committee’s scrutiny of the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Date / Dyddiad: 24.01.2025 Subject / Pwnc: Legislative Consent Memorandum – UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: 1 LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM TOBACCO AND VAPES BILL 1.

Found: Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill 1.

Found: February 2025 The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Constitution Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: (Amendment) Bill – The Senedd had not voted on whether to grant consent to the Bill; ▪ Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: evidence paper refers to the UK Government’s action on tobacco and vaping, including the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: 1 SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO 2) Tobacco and Vapes Bill 1

Found: The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Welsh Government

Found: consider and report on the Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (No. 2) on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: Tobacco and Vapes Bill To support schools with the challenges around vape use we asked Public Health

Found: Written Statement: The UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill (5 November 2024)

Found: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will cover all 4 UK nations, will seeall young people born on or after

Found: and Freehold Bill Reform Bill Leasehold and Freehold Bill Reform Bill Renters (Reform) Bill Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: As part of the discussion relating to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, I noted that, whist we agreed to work

Found: As part of the discussion relating to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, I noted that, whist we agreed to work

Found: It was the intention of the UK government to introduce a Tobacco and Vapes Bill into UK Parliament in

Found: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was formally announced in the King’s Speech during the state opening of Parliament

Found: Following the publication of mywritten statement on 29 Januaryconfirming plans for a new Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: November, His Majesty King Charles III set out plans for the UK Government to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Found: and received 27,921 responses, 1,018 from Wales.The UK Government will now bring forward a Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Question

Further to WQ92448, will the Cabinet Secretary work with Transport for Wales and other rail operators in Wales to closely monitor the issue and enforcement of no smoking and vaping at stations?

Answered by Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Since 2007, smoking has been prohibited in enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces. Some organisations have gone further than the legislation requires by introducing additional restrictions on smoking, such as on train platforms, and have also acted to prevent vapes use - on trains for example.

Our aim is to continue to denormalise tobacco use, and this type of voluntary action further protects public health and ensures all passengers can use services free from exposure to dangerous second-hand smoke or unwanted e-cigarette vapour. We therefore continue to expect British Transport Police to work with the train operators to manage enforcement of the legislation and their smoking and vaping bans effectively.

Officials regularly meet with Transport for Wales who operate all stations in Wales and will ensure this issue is raised with them so that any further support or actions required by the Welsh Government can be identified and progressed.

We are also working with governments from across the UK to take cross-government action on smoking and vape use via the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was introduced to UK Parliament on 5 November. As well as creating a smokefree generation by increasing the age of sale for tobacco and measures to tackle youth vaping, the Bill introduces powers to extend smoke-free laws so that they could also prohibit the use of vapes and heated tobacco products in specified areas where smoking is prohibited. These provisions extend to the whole of the UK. The Bill is currently being considered by Parliament and is at Committee stage. If the Bill is passed, the vape and heated tobacco free measures will be subject to consultation and guided by public health advice.

Question

What support will the Welsh Government offer parents, schools, and children to deal with nicotine addiction and other issues arising from use of vapes by children, ahead of the ban on single-use vapes coming into effect on 1 June 2025?

Answered by Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Health advice on vapes is clear - if you do not smoke, do not vape, and children and young people should never vape. However, the number of children and young people using vapes has increased significantly in recent years and we know these products are being targeted at children through their flavours and packaging.

All four UK governments are committed to addressing smoking and youth vaping. My Officials have collaborated closely with those in the other UK nations to develop the Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2024 which aims to create a smoke-free generation and tackle youth vaping by introducing new measures to restrict flavours, point of sale displays, and packaging of vapes, making vapes and other nicotine products less appealing and available to children. Additionally, it includes provisions to prevent these products from being intentionally branded and advertised to children. The Bill will also prohibit vape vending machines and the free distribution of vapes, and it will make it illegal to sell any nicotine products, both nicotine and non-nicotine vapes, to under 18s.

Single-use vapes are a wasteful use of resources, create litter and plastic pollution in our environment and are linked to youth vaping. To help address this, the Welsh Government will, from the 1 June 2025, ban the supply of single-use vapes in Wales. This ban is being taken forward separately to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and will be co-ordinated with the other nations in the UK to support consumers, businesses and enforcement understand the new laws.

I agree with Public Health Wales' (PHW) Incident Response Group (IRG) recommendation to treat vaping as a dependency issue and prioritise support over punishment for young people. At present, individuals aged 12 years and older who smoke or vape can receive the same support as adult smokers through Help Me Quit (HMQ), which includes comprehensive behavioural assistance and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), customised to their individual requirements. Those over 12 who exclusively vape can access one session of behavioural support from HMQ but without NRT. While free NRT access for those who only vape is not currently available through HMQ, Officials are working with PHW and Community Pharmacy teams to create pathways for future regular provision.

PHW has observed increased demand for its HMQ service from those addicted to nicotine through vaping and has formed a project board with experts from education, smoking cessation, and the third sector in Wales to review and enhance support services.

Question

Will the Welsh Government meet with the UK Government to discuss plans for further smoking restrictions, following the implementation of Part 3 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Welsh Government Ministers and officials meet frequently with the UK Government to discuss measures to tackle smoking and its negative impacts on health and wellbeing. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill applied to Wales when it was laid in Parliament earlier this year and I was pleased to see its inclusion in the King’s Speech in July. I fully support the planned Bill’s aims to introduce a progressive smoking ban to create a smoke free generation and if passed, we will continue to work with the other governments across the UK to implement its provisions.

The Welsh Ministers already have comprehensive regulation making powers to designate smoke-free areas in Wales. In addition to restricting smoking in indoor workplaces and premises that are open to the public, on 1 March 2021 we introduced the landmark law (the first in the UK) to require all hospital grounds, school grounds, public playgrounds and the outdoor care settings for children in Wales to be smoke-free. Section 13, Chapter 1, Part 3 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 enables the Welsh Ministers to go further if required and designate additional smoke-free premises. These premises do not need to be enclosed or substantially enclosed (i.e. they may be open spaces). As the majority of people in Wales are non-smokers, we continue to look at all options available to support people to enjoy public places, free from exposure to dangerous second-hand smoke.

Question

What action will the Welsh Government be taking to tackle youth vaping and smoking given that the the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill will not now become law during this Parliament?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The negative impacts of smoking on our health and wellbeing are well known and I am extremely disappointed the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill did not progress through UK Parliament before its dissolution ahead of the General Election. We had worked closely with the UK Government and the other Devolved Governments on the development of the Bill to ensure it reflected Wales’s public health ambitions.

Smoking is a huge burden on our NHS and social care services and contributes significantly to health. We will continue to highlight the need for this essential and world-leading legislation – which is supported by all Chief Medical Officers across the UK.

 We are committed to our ambitious target of achieving a smoke-free Wales by 2030, reducing smoking levels in our communities to 5% or less. I am looking at all opportunities available to meet our smokefree Wales ambition and will continue to consider legislative options to strengthen our approach to eradicating smoking from our society and to keep vapes out of the hands of children and young people.

To support children and young people, we run the JustB Smoke Free programme which operates in socio-economically disadvantaged areas to prevent the uptake of smoking.

Public Health Wales’ Vaping Among Children and Young People Incident Response Group published their report on 18 April which sought to fully understand the scale of the issue in Wales. The Welsh Government will consider the report’s recommendations carefully in due course.

In September 2023 Public Health Wales published ‘Information and Guidance on Vaping for Secondary-aged learners in Wales’. Building on this, Public Health Wales have developed new resources for teachers to understand the impact of vaping on learners and how to incorporate that understanding into their teaching, which are currently being piloted.

As the prevalence of e-cigarette use increases across both adults and children and young people in Wales, Help Me Quit (HMQ) is experiencing increased demand for vaping support. In response to this demand, there is recognition that the current HMQ service offer may need to evolve to reflect the rapidly evolving landscape in respect of e-cigarettes/vaping. Public Health Wales are exploring how services can be adapted to better support those experiencing any form of nicotine addiction.

We will take action on single-use vapes. These products have significant environmental impacts and are an important driver of the recent increase in youth vaping. We recently announced our intention to ban these products from 1 April 2025.

Question

Will the Cabinet Secretary set out the Welsh Government’s assessment of the impact of the loss of the planned UK Government Tobacco and Vapes Bill due to the calling of the general election, on plans to create a smoke-free Wales?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

I am extremely disappointed the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill did not progress through UK Parliament before its dissolution ahead of the General Election. We had worked closely with the UK Government and the other Devolved Governments on the development of the Bill to ensure it reflected Wales’s public health ambitions.

However, we are committed to our ambitious target of achieving a smoke-free Wales by 2030, reducing smoking levels in our communities to 5% or less.

Smoking is a huge burden on our NHS and social care services and contributes significantly to health. We will continue to highlight the need for this essential and world-leading legislation – which is supported by all Chief Medical Officers across the UK.

But any future decisions about a UK-wide Bill will be for the next UK Government which forms following the election. We will continue to work closely on a four-nation basis to progress action on tackling smoking and reducing youth vaping.

We will take action on single-use vapes. These products have significant environmental impacts and are an important driver of the recent increase in youth vaping. We announced our intention to ban these products from 1 April 2025.

Question

What is the Cabinet Secretary doing to tackle vaping among children?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The rise in vaping among children and young people is very concerning. These products have no place in the hands of children and young people however, we know they are being actively targeted at them. Addressing youth vaping is therefore at the heart of the measures in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was laid before Parliament on 20 March 2024.

Last year, Public Health Wales established a Vaping Among Children and Young People Incident Response Group to understand the scale of the issue in Wales. In addition to gathering evidence and data and investigating possible causes, the group looked to establish control measures to reduce the risk of ongoing harm and develop multi agency actions in Wales. It published its report on 18 April, highlighting the need to support young people who are addicted to nicotine in vapes. This is an area I know PHW is already looking at, including how we adapt our services to better support people, including young people to quit their nicotine addiction. I will be considering the report’s recommendations carefully in due course.

I am aware of the challenges vape use presents for schools. In September 2023, PHW published Information and Guidance on Vaping for Secondary-aged learners in Wales to support schools with this issue. This guidance drew on the expertise of professionals from health, education and smoking cessation services and set out 10 key actions for schools to address vaping, including those related to policies and practices, communication and support. Guidance was also provided on how to engage with young people who are using vapes as well as recommendations for appropriate actions and referrals. Building on this guidance, resources to support teachers to understand the issues and impact of vaping on learners and to incorporate that understanding into their teaching have been developed by the PHW and are currently being piloted with an expectation that they will be available before the end of the school year. These resources are all aimed at supporting schools to take consistent and effective action to address vaping amongst the learners they support.

We are taking action on single-use (disposable) vapes. Not only do these products have significant environmental impacts, but they are also understood to be an important driver of the recent increases in youth vaping. The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs recently announced our intention to ban these products from 1 April 2025. The ban in Wales will be aligned with similar action in England and Scotland and will provide businesses with the necessary time to prepare for the changes, supported by the publication of guidance and communication materials which are being developed in collaboration with business representative groups.

Question

How is the Welsh Government ensuring regulations on vaping products are enforced, following the recent ASH Wales Youth Vaping Survey which showed 55 per cent of pupils that vape were using likely illegal, unregulated products containing over 600 puffs?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

I welcome the publication of the ASH Wales survey of public opinion on tobacco control in Wales. It is encouraging to see that there is clear support for tighter controls on vapes, including support for our planned ban on single use vapes from April 2025.

Vapes should never be used by children, young people and non-smokers however we know they are being actively targeted at them. We are working closely with the other UK governments to tackle youth vaping and to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament. If the Bill is passed, the Welsh Government continue to work with the other UK nations to develop the details of the regulations that will restrict the flavours and contents of vapes, their retail packaging and the point of sale displays so that we can prevent these products being obtained and use by children in Wales. The measures will be subject to further consultation and analysis ahead of their introduction and we will ensure we work with stakeholders so that they have time to prepare before the new controls come into effect. 

I am also deeply concerned about reports of illicit vapes – not only in relation to underage sales of products to children but also regarding the safety and quality of some products which have been found to contain contaminants like lead and higher than permitted levels of nicotine. We are supporting Trading Standards Wales to tackle this issue so that they can take rigorous enforcement action and deal with the illegal market. We are also looking to strengthen the enforcement tools available in Wales and enable enforcement authorities to issue fixed penalty notices of £100 for the underage sale of tobacco and vaping products. These measures, which also form part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, will enable enforcement teams to take swifter action and issue on-the-spot fines to retailers, instead of needing to take action through the courts.

Question

What consideration has the Cabinet Secretary given to the long-term impact on NHS Wales’s funding if the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is successfully implemented, especially in terms of reduced demand for smoking-cessation services?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was introduced to the UK Parliament on 20 March and has the potential to be one of the most significant public health interventions in a generation. If passed, the Bill will raise the age of sale of tobacco products by one year, every year and effectively take cigarettes and tobacco products out of reach of young people. To tackle youth vaping, the Bill provides powers to restrict flavours, point of sale and packaging for both nicotine and non-nicotine vaping products.

Smoking has a devastating impact on individuals, on society and our health service. It significantly increases the risk of cancer, respiratory diseases and dementia and is responsible for around 5,600 deaths per year in Wales. Treating smoking-related diseases has major economic impacts, costing the NHS in Wales an estimated £302m a year. This is why we established our ambitious target in 2022 to create a smokefree society by 2030 and why, we are taking forward actions to support more people to quit and to prevent the uptake of smoking in the first place.

To support the Bill, the UK Government’s Department for Health and Social Care published a comprehensive Impact Assessment that sets out the costs of benefits of the policies. In the long term, the measures in the Bill aim to reduce smoking prevalence by preventing smoking uptake.

Question

What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of the health impacts of nicotine for children addicted to vapes?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

I am very concerned by reports of increases in the number of children and young people vaping.

These products are being promoted in a way that appeals to children, including through their use of flavours, where they are displayed in shops and their retail packaging. This is clearly unacceptable and extremely worrying given the addictive nature of nicotine and the unknown long-term health impacts of vapes.

Last year, Public Health Wales established a Vaping Among Children and Young People Incident Response Group (IRG) to understand the scale of the issue in Wales.

The IRG’s report was published on 18 April. It found the vast majority of children and young people in Wales do not vape but there has been a substantial increase in youth vaping and an increasing proportion of young people using vapes are vaping daily and reporting nicotine dependency.

I am grateful to the IRG for undertaking their investigation and welcome the report. Whilst I will be considering the recommendations carefully, I have noted that the IRG has recommended that vaping should be regarded as a dependency issue and therefore those young people who are addicted to nicotine in vapes should be supported.

This is an area that I know Public Health Wales is already looking at, including how we adapt our services to better support people, including young people to quit their addiction.

One of the ways to address youth vaping and nicotine dependency is to put in place measures that make vaping less appealing. We are therefore working closely with the other UK governments to tackle youth vaping by reducing the appeal and availability of vapes through the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill. We also plan to introduce a ban on single-use vapes from 1 April 2025.

Question

What is the Minister's assessment of a study by academics at University College London published in Public Health in January 2024, which recommends regulating the branding of e-cigarettes to prevent them appealing to children?

Answered by Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

I am very concerned by the increasing number of young people using vape products and support much stronger restrictions on the industry to prevent these products being marketed to children. I welcome the analysis undertaken by academics at University College London which aimed to establish who would be affected by a ban on disposable vapes. The authors also point to a range of potential measures to reduce disposable vaping products being used by children including prohibiting branding with appeal to children (e.g. bright colours, sweet names, and cartoon characters) across all e-cigarette products and packaging (not just disposables) as well as prohibiting the promotion of e-cigarettes in shops and putting them out of sight and reach of children.

Following a joint four nations consultation on proposals to create a smokefree generation and to tackle youth vaping, the Welsh Government, along with those in the other UK Nations published the consultation outcome document on 29 January. In this document we set out our intention to introduce a Tobacco and Vapes Bill at the earliest opportunity to prevent young people from ever purchasing tobacco. The Bill will also provide powers to regulate vapes, including flavourings, packaging and the placement of these products in shops, with the aim of reducing use of these products by young people. Separately, and in light of the significant environmental concerns around disposable vapes, the Welsh Government, along with the UK and Scottish governments, will bring forward legislation to introduce a ban on disposable vapes. Further details on our plans are provided in my written statement, published on 29 January.

In taking forward these measures, it is extremely important that we take all actions necessary to address tobacco and youth vaping, but in a way that minimises unintended consequences particularly to former smokers because we know that vapes can be useful to some in helping them to quit smoking. Whilst we all share a desire to take action swiftly, my officials are working closely with those in the other UK nations to ensure the legislation we develop is as well designed and as comprehensive as necessary to achieve our objectives.

Question

How has the Welsh Government been working with the UK Government to close the legal loophole that allows vapes to be given to children as samples?

Answered by Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

It is clearly unacceptable that free samples of vaping products are able to be given out to under 18’s and I fully support changing the law to close this loophole.

Following the recent UK Government’s Youth vaping: call for evidence the Welsh Government is working closely with the other UK nations to develop comprehensive measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. The consultation paper Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping was published on 12 October and included proposals to increase the age of sale for tobacco as well as measures to restrict the flavours, packaging and presentation of vapes, restrictions on point of sale displays and on the sale of disposable vaping products. The consultation closed on 6 December and the responses are being analysed. Once this process is completed, we will consider our next steps as well as the legislative options, including the potential for the proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill to apply in Wales as appropriate.