Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Baroness Mattinson Excerpts

2nd reading
Wednesday 23rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Mattinson (Lab)]

My Lords, I start by saying how delighted I would be to be asked my age in Waitrose; it has not happened for a very long time.

I join pretty much everybody who has spoken in thanking the Minister for this important and much-needed Bill, which I support absolutely wholeheartedly. I want to make two points, one specific and one more general. The first, specific point is about children and vaping. Children are now twice as likely to vape as they are to smoke. This really matters, as we have no idea what the long-term consequences might be; they might be grave. Banning ads and restricting sales are essential steps forward but, to deal with the issue, we need to understand the motivation driving these children to start vaping. We know very well why they continue once they have started—it is incredibly addictive—but we do not know why they start in the first place.

I have a hunch, which is the same as that of my noble friend Lady Rafferty and the noble Baroness, Lady Northover. It is based on my own experience as a teenage smoker. They probably do it because, like me at that age, they think that it is cool. Also like me, they will spend the rest of their lives regretting that decision. However, a hunch is not enough. We need detailed research that gives real insight into why children start vaping then a targeted campaign to de-cool vaping—if that is what it takes—in places that those children will see, such as on social media, TikTok and so on. It needs to be a campaign developed by people who really understand that motivation in the first place. Only that can truly counter this growing habit and its terrible consequences.

My second point is more general but important, because, although I am a newcomer here, this Bill seems a rare beast. It has cross-party support, pretty much, and, despite the public’s occasional scepticism of nanny state-ism, it has strong and unequivocal support from the public. Against the backdrop of failing trust in government, this represents a rare opportunity to show what government intervention can achieve in terms of outcomes, whether that is ending illness and suffering, cutting hospital waiting lists or saving lives; lots of noble Lords have spoken movingly about that today. I urge my noble friend the Minister to ensure that the impact of these measures is carefully monitored so that there is a positive story to tell and so that that story, when it is ready to be told, is told loudly and clearly, as I know it can be. I look forward to supporting this Bill as it goes forward.