Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release, Crackdown on illegal sale of vapes, published on 9 April 2023, what his planned timescale is for the (a) appointment and (b) launch of the illicit vapes enforcement squad; which Department the new team will sit under; whether it will be affiliated to a Government agency; and whether he plans to publish reports on the work and progress of the squad.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities within the Department is currently designing the scope and delivery mechanism for the new illicit vaping enforcement squad. We are working closely with a range of organisations including Trading Standards, the Office of Product and Safety Standards, Border Force and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, who will help deliver the programme over the next two years. We will provide further details, including on timelines, monitoring and reporting, in due course.