Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons Public Health England has not acted on reports of sales of cigarettes containing menthol.

The investigation into the selling of cigarette products that have a characterising menthol flavour is currently going through the process in accordance with the European Union (EU) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/779.

The Government committed to comply with the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive until the United Kingdom and the EU’s transition period ended.

Public Health England (PHE) has been preparing to begin testing products of interest now the transition period is complete.

In the meantime, PHE has communicated with manufacturers to alert them of its concerns that certain tobacco products that may have a characterising menthol flavour are still being sold.