Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of providing grants or financial support to vending operators to meet compliance costs arising from age verification requirements.

The Chancellor has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on a range of issues.

DHSC ran a 12-week consultation on proposals for the ban of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years from 3 September to 26 November 2025. This included seeking views on how the ban should apply in vending machines.

DHSC is now carefully considering the responses and will publish the government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and any next steps.