Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Debate between Baroness Grey-Thompson and Baroness Northover

Report stage
Tuesday 24th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Northover (LD)]

My Lords, Amendment 10, in my name and that of my noble friend Lady Walmsley, would require the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring tobacco manufacturers and importers to provide quarterly sales data to assist public health activities. These regulations may include information about, for example, volume of sales, geographical area and product type.

Tobacco is not like any other industry, as we have been discussing. The products sold by the industry kill around two-thirds of long-term users and the harms are widespread and well-documented. Yet the industry treats its data as a commercial secret, leaving public health authorities in the dark. The information already exists. The tobacco industry holds it. This amendment would ensure that the data are harnessed for the public good.

I note that, although Amendment 10 outlines areas where regulations could be brought, it does say “may”—there is flexibility there for the Government. All that is required is that they make progress in this area. The noble Earl, Lord Howe, noted in Committee that HMRC and the Department of Health currently have access to some data. However, we do not feel that that is sufficient. We have heard from those working in public health that there are gaps which, if filled, would benefit activities on the ground.

Smoking is responsible for deep health inequalities, with modelling from Cancer Research UK, for example, showing a 25-year gap between the most and least affluent communities in this country in achieving smoke-free status. That is a shocking illustration of health inequality, reflected in nearly twice as many smoking-related cancers in the poorest areas compared with the wealthiest. Access to sales data would help local authorities, trading standards and public health agencies target resources effectively, monitor patterns of use and respond quickly to emerging threats.

Other countries do this. Canada’s Tobacco Reporting Regulations require manufacturers to report on over 20 ingredients and 40 emissions, along with sales and promotion data, to assist Health Canada in policy decisions. Australia requires companies to report on sales volumes, product pricing, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship activities and expenditure, alongside information regarding ingredients.

Mandating transparency—we were discussing transparency earlier—is the right step. It holds the tobacco industry more accountable and ensures that public health can act on the evidence, rather than wait for other data sources. For these reasons, I urge the Government to support this amendment and commit to improve transparency for an industry that has avoided accountability for decades. I beg to move.

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB)]

My Lords, I covered Amendment 17A, in my name, in Committee, so I will be brief.

Currently, the vast majority of cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, and each cigarette butt contains around two straws-worth of plastic. Globally, around 6 trillion cigarettes are smoked each year, with 4.5 trillion butts being littered. In the UK, around 3.9 million cigarette butts are littered daily. That is equivalent to 6,000 cigarette butts being dropped in every parliamentary constituency every day. Each plastic butt can take up to 10 years to break down into tiny fragments or microplastics, and they have polluted the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. Worryingly, according to recent scientific research, the level of microplastics being found in human brain tissue samples has increased by 50% since 2016 and is increasing in other organs. Local authorities in the UK spend around £40 million a year fighting a losing battle—money that many would argue could be better spent on vital front-line services. The industry could have made a change, but so far has not gone far enough.

Banning plastic cigarette filters is supported by the public, including smokers. In polling commissioned earlier this year by the Parliament News website from Whitestone Insight, a member of the British Polling Council, 2,000 people were asked for their views on this issue. When asked:

“Would you agree or disagree with these statements? Cigarette manufacturers should be required by law to switch from using plastics in cigarette butts to a fully biodegradable alternative”,


almost nine in 10, or 86%, agreed, while just one in 20, or 6%, disagreed. Interestingly, even among current smokers, the vast majority—77%—supported the change. Support was high across every age group, social group and region. In contrast, asked if cigarette manufacturers should be able to continue to use plastic filters, just 13% agreed. The survey also found that eight in 10 people support the government levy and additional taxes on cigarette brands that refuse to switch from traditional plastic butts, including 51% of smokers. Some 84% of UK adults would support cigarette manufacturers being fined for not switching to biodegradable butts, with the revenues going towards paying for cleaning up the environment.

I do not think that this is a party-political issue. It was discussed by MPs, who voted on an amendment that was supported cross-party, including by Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems, Reform, independents and unionists. Unfortunately, the Government did not accept the change that was being put forward. If we are going to be serious about how we consider the environment, this could be an important change.