Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the efficacy of enforcement provisions in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, in the context of the recent BBC investigation into the illicit tobacco market.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers selling illegal and unregulated tobacco and vape products to children and young people. The Bill introduces new £200 fixed penalty notices in England and Wales for certain tobacco and vape offences, including underage sales, and enables the introduction of a retail licensing scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a new registration scheme for tobacco, vape and nicotine products sold on the UK market.

Alongside the Bill, we are investing £30 million of new funding for enforcement agencies in 2025/26, including Trading Standards, HMRC and Border Force. This funding is being used to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales in England, and the implementation of the measures in the Bill.