Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when regulations will be introduced to implement plain paper packaging for cigarettes.

The Government has not yet made a final decision on whether to introduce standardised packaging of tobacco products. The Government continues to consider carefully all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products. Any decision about the appropriate Parliamentary timetable for the proposed regulations will be made if required, when the Government has made its final decision.

The draft regulations were notified to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive on 29 August. This started an initial three month “standstill” period. We have received a detailed opinion from a Member State which extends the “standstill” period to six months and regulations cannot be made until after this period.