Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to enforce the generational ban on tobacco products.

Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.

This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products.

The Government will provide £30 million additional funding per year to support enforcement agencies such as trading standards, Border Force and HM Revenue and Customs to implement and enforce the law, including enforcement of underage sales, and tackle illicit trade. The additional funding will help boost enforcement capacity across the country.

We are also providing £5 million this year and £15 million thereafter to support new national marketing campaigns. These campaigns will help to explain the legal changes of the smokefree generation, and prepare the public, retailers, and other relevant stakeholders for the future changes.