Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing a retailer licensing scheme for the sale of vapes.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. To address this, we recently published our response to the smoking and vaping consultation, which sets out our plan to restrict vape flavours, point of sale display, and packaging. The response is available at the following link:
We also set out our plans to introduce an age of sale requirement for non-nicotine vapes and other consumer nicotine products, as well as a £100 fixed penalty notice for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. In addition, the consultation response announced that disposable vapes will be banned, which will be taken forward by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. The Government will introduce legislation as soon as possible.
Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a retail licensing scheme, we have announced £30 million of additional funding per year to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vape products. In April last year, we also provided funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in ports, upskilled trading standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the environmental impact of introducing paper inserts with quit information messages into (a) tobacco pouches and (b) cigarette boxes.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is the number one entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability and death in this country. It is responsible for 80,000 yearly deaths in the United Kingdom and one in four of all UK cancer deaths. It costs our country £17 billion a year, £14 billion of which is through lost productivity alone. It puts huge pressure on the National Health Service and social care, costing over £3 billion a year.
Research suggests tobacco pack inserts can increase the likelihood of smokers making a quit attempt, by providing motivational messages and information on the benefits of quitting, in addition to the graphic health warnings already on tobacco products.
A UK wide consultation, Mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs, was open for eight weeks from August 2023 to October 2023. As part of the consultation, respondents were asked to provide information on any environmental concerns about the use of inserts, and how these could be mitigated. We are considering feedback to the consultation and a consultation response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation entitled Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, what steps her Department plans to take to enforce the proposals relating to (a) tobacco and (b) vape products bought from online retailers.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A strong approach to enforcement is vital if the smokefree generation and youth vaping policy is to have real impact. Underage and illicit sale of tobacco, and more recently vapes, is undermining the work the Government is doing to regulate the industry and protect public health. The sale of illicit products frequently targets children and young people in disadvantaged communities, widening health disparities.
For this reason, HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force published the joint illicit tobacco strategy, Stubbing Out the Problem, in January 2024. This sets out our plans to be at the forefront of tackling illegal activity and opportunities that criminals might seek to exploit. One of the strategies key aims is to reduce the demand for illicit tobacco, which will include tackling online sales of illicit tobacco on social media platforms, gathering intelligence on social media sales, and working with social media platforms to ensure we are effective in limiting criminal groups’ ability to sell illicit tobacco through these channels.
Additionally, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is creating a framework of standards and governance, underpinned by legislation, to enable the widespread use of trusted digital identity services. This will make it possible for people to prove things about themselves in a secure way without using paper documents.
The Government wants to make sure that those under the legal age of sale cannot buy tobacco products and vapes online, so we have committed to further enhance online age verification. As set out in the command paper, Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, we will work with retailers that sell tobacco products and vapes to produce good practice guidance to help retailers adopt online age verification, to address underage sales.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional support will be provided for Trading Standards to enforce the proposed generational ban on tobacco sales.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is the number one entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability and death in this country. It is responsible for 80,000 yearly deaths in the United Kingdom and one in four of all UK cancer deaths. It costs our country £17 billion a year, £14 billion of which is through lost productivity alone. It puts huge pressure on the National Health Service and social care, costing over £3 billion a year. That is why we are introducing legislation to create the first smokefree generation, making it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
To ensure the law is enforced, the Government is providing an additional £30 million per year for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, to support work to tackle illicit and underage sales. The Government will also introduce a £100 fixed penalty notice for the underage sale of tobacco and vaping products. This will support Trading Standards to take quicker and more proportionate enforcement action against the irresponsible retailers who allow underage sales. We will continue to work closely with local trading standards and businesses to provide guidance on implementing and enforcing the Smokefree Generation policy.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the outcome of the forthcoming consultation on the products in scope for the restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink will also determine the products in scope for the restrictions on the promotion of unhealthy food and drink.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The product categories in scope of the restrictions on less healthy food and drink advertising have been outlined in the Government’s consultation response published in June 2021. The upcoming consultation will focus on the clarity of the definitions included in the draft regulations and will be published shortly. The outcome of this consultation will not apply to the restrictions on the promotions of less healthy food and drink.
The products in scope of the promotions restrictions were determined following a public consultation. These regulations will require medium and large businesses, including those with 50 or more employees, to restrict promotions on less healthy food and drink by volume price, such as ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘3 for 2’ offers and in key locations, such as checkouts, store entrances, aisle ends and online equivalents. The restrictions will come into force in October 2022
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to launch its consultation on the products in scope for the upcoming restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The product categories in scope of the restrictions on less healthy food and drink advertising have been outlined in the Government’s consultation response published in June 2021. The upcoming consultation will focus on the clarity of the definitions included in the draft regulations and will be published shortly. The outcome of this consultation will not apply to the restrictions on the promotions of less healthy food and drink.
The products in scope of the promotions restrictions were determined following a public consultation. These regulations will require medium and large businesses, including those with 50 or more employees, to restrict promotions on less healthy food and drink by volume price, such as ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘3 for 2’ offers and in key locations, such as checkouts, store entrances, aisle ends and online equivalents. The restrictions will come into force in October 2022
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out a cost-benefit analysis of Nutriscore on its viability as the UK’s preferred front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are considering the responses to the United Kingdom-wide public consultation on our current front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme including views and evidence on new international examples, specifically the Nutri-score label and Chile’s warning label. We chose to consider the Nutri-score and Chile’s warning label because they differ significantly from the UK’s multiple traffic light scheme and have evidence of the impact on public health in non-UK markets.
The consultation included a technical annex which provides a provisional commentary on the costs and benefits on the suggestions included in the consultation. We will publish a consultation response as soon as possible. If changes to the scheme are required, we will consult again on proposed policy changes and publish a full impact assessment.
Research was commissioned alongside the consultation to test which front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme supports people in Great Britain to identify healthier choices. This research tested the Government-recommended multiple traffic light, Nutri-score, Chile’s warning and Positive Choice Tick labels with a British population. The preliminary study was published 10 March 2021 and is available at the following link:
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/3/900
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of non-UK market use of Nutriscore as a front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are considering the responses to the United Kingdom-wide public consultation on our current front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme including views and evidence on new international examples, specifically the Nutri-score label and Chile’s warning label. We chose to consider the Nutri-score and Chile’s warning label because they differ significantly from the UK’s multiple traffic light scheme and have evidence of the impact on public health in non-UK markets.
The consultation included a technical annex which provides a provisional commentary on the costs and benefits on the suggestions included in the consultation. We will publish a consultation response as soon as possible. If changes to the scheme are required, we will consult again on proposed policy changes and publish a full impact assessment.
Research was commissioned alongside the consultation to test which front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme supports people in Great Britain to identify healthier choices. This research tested the Government-recommended multiple traffic light, Nutri-score, Chile’s warning and Positive Choice Tick labels with a British population. The preliminary study was published 10 March 2021 and is available at the following link:
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/3/900
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
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 nutritional and consumer response evidence on the viability of Nutriscore as the UK’s preferred front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are considering the responses to the United Kingdom-wide public consultation on our current front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme including views and evidence on new international examples, specifically the Nutri-score label and Chile’s warning label. We chose to consider the Nutri-score and Chile’s warning label because they differ significantly from the UK’s multiple traffic light scheme and have evidence of the impact on public health in non-UK markets.
The consultation included a technical annex which provides a provisional commentary on the costs and benefits on the suggestions included in the consultation. We will publish a consultation response as soon as possible. If changes to the scheme are required, we will consult again on proposed policy changes and publish a full impact assessment.
Research was commissioned alongside the consultation to test which front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme supports people in Great Britain to identify healthier choices. This research tested the Government-recommended multiple traffic light, Nutri-score, Chile’s warning and Positive Choice Tick labels with a British population. The preliminary study was published 10 March 2021 and is available at the following link:
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/3/900
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with representatives of the food and drink industry who will be affected by the introduction of the Government's proposed restrictions on the online advertising of products that are high in fat, salt and sugar; and if he will provide those representatives with the Government's planned timelines for the implementation of those proposed restrictions.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has committed to implementing restrictions for TV and online simultaneously and will aim to do so at the end of 2022. This will give industry time to prepare and understand any guidance published by the Government or by regulators. There has been extensive engagement with key stakeholders and industry throughout the consultation and publication process. This will continue from the introduction of the Bill through to implementation of the restrictions.