Tobacco and Vapes Bill (Second sitting)

Angela Richardson Excerpts

Committee stage
Tuesday 30th April 2024 Public Bill Committees

[The Chair]

We have two minutes left. Is anyone burning to ask the last question? We have had very clear evidence and it has been an excellent session, but is anyone sitting on a question they have not yet asked?

[Angela Richardson (Guildford) (Con)]

Q Yes. Greg, I am picking up from the witnesses and evidence sessions we have had so far that there is almost an ideological feeling about vapes as a smoking cessation tool. You talked about the unintended consequences of people going back to smoking or not giving it up if we were to take a tougher line on vaping or the effects of vaping on others. I am slightly worried from a public health point of view: what if we discover that vaping is dreadful and we have taken the really strong stance of maybe not looking into it enough and giving it the urgency it needs?

Greg Fell: Again, without wanting to take the fifth amendment, that is a question for some of the experts behind me, who will give you a full view based on the science. We are 20 years into vaping now—we would probably have started to see significant amounts of vaping-related harm. Cases can always be found of somebody who has terrible lung damage as a result of vaping, but they are usually the exception rather than the rule. The comparator is always tobacco smoke: is it safer than tobacco smoke on the basis of all the science that we know, 20-odd years in? Yes, unequivocally. Is it safer than fresh air? No—hence we do not recommend that people who do not smoke start vaping. As the chief medical officer has said repeatedly, the tobacco industry marketing vapes to kids is completely unacceptable. I am happy—hand on heart, I can say that ADPH pretty much follows the line that it is a route out of tobacco smoking, as we know that smoking kills half of its customers or more. Should the science change in another 10 years, then we would change our view, but on the basis of the evidence we have now, I am happy that we have got the right position.

[The Chair]

Thank you very much, David and Greg, for an excellent session with some very clear evidence.

Examination of Witness

Ailsa Rutter gave evidence.