Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Lord Kamall Excerpts

Consideration of Commons amendments and / or reasons
Monday 20th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Naseby (Con)]

My Lords, I understand the background, having been involved in the early stages of the Bill. Nevertheless, it upsets a great many people in that industry that the Government have not listened to the strong representations of the retailers and those who have knowledge of the industry. We have a situation now where we have a £200 penalty, which is huge by any yardstick, for the revised incidences. We are expecting a new Welsh Government fairly soon, and they may not be too happy with what has now been amended. However, I will say no more than that I think the time will come when the present Government and—I am sorry to say—those on my own side who believe in this idea as a whole will accept that it is totally out of date in relation to what is happening in the world. What we really need is a proper understanding of how we educate people not to take up smoking.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

My Lords, I should be clear that, given this Motion brings forward an amendment that corrects a technical error and the Government have explained their rationale, we will not oppose it.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My Lords, I again thank your Lordships’ House for its attentive scrutiny throughout the passage of the Bill. I pay tribute to the Front Benches and to noble Lords on all sides of the House.

I say to the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, that, as I have explained and his own Front Bench has confirmed, these are purely technical amendments to make this area of the Bill workable. It is a matter that had much debate. I assure the noble Lord, as I have done on a number of occasions, that we have worked closely with retailers and will continue to do so. I appreciate that he is not a supporter of the Bill, and it is on that point that I differ with him.

I urge all noble Lords to accept these amendments and note that this afternoon marks the end of the Bill’s journey through Parliament. This is a landmark Bill that will create a smoke-free generation, and it will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation. I assure all noble Lords that it will save lives. I commend it to the House.