Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration she has given to the potential merits of including a pre-licensing integrity assessment within the forthcoming tobacco, vaping and nicotine licensing scheme, akin to the model under the Dutch Bibob system, to prevent organised crime groups from establishing high street premises.

We are carefully considering the responses to our October 2025 call for evidence on tobacco and vapes, including on the granting of licences, to inform our proposals for future consultation, and we will set out our plans in the normal way in due course.

The Government is investing up to £10 million of new funding per year in Trading Standards until 2028/29 to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales, and the implementation of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Act.

However, powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 also allow licensing fees collected from retailers to be used by local authorities to cover the costs of administering and enforcing the scheme. This will minimise burdens on local authorities and central government, and ensure the scheme can be implemented sustainably.