Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to banning the sale of flavoured vapes which may be attractive to children and young people.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government assessment is that youth vaping has increased. Over the past decade, the use of vapes by children has been consistently low. However, data collected in NHS Digital’s Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England survey showed that in 2021 9% of 11 to 15 year old children currently used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018.
It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping, particularly because of the unknown long-term harms. To address this the government announced in April a call for evidence on youth vaping and £3 million of additional funding through the creation of an illicit vapes enforcement squad to tackle underage sales.
At the end of May the Prime Minister made a further announcement to close a loophole that allows industry from giving out free samples, increase education and to support the dedicated school police liaison officers to keep illegal vapes out of schools, and review both on the spot fines and underage sales for non-nicotine vapes.
Our youth vaping call for evidence closed on the 6 June. This call explored a range of issues and asked questions related to the appeal of vapes to children. We are analysing responses and the evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. This will include an assessment of the appeal of flavours. We will publish the response early this autumn to outline our next steps.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing number of children and young people vaping.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government assessment is that youth vaping has increased. Over the past decade, the use of vapes by children has been consistently low. However, data collected in NHS Digital’s Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England survey showed that in 2021 9% of 11 to 15 year old children currently used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018.
It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes to children and we are concerned about the recent rises in youth vaping, particularly because of the unknown long-term harms. To address this the government announced in April a call for evidence on youth vaping and £3 million of additional funding through the creation of an illicit vapes enforcement squad to tackle underage sales.
At the end of May the Prime Minister made a further announcement to close a loophole that allows industry from giving out free samples, increase education and to support the dedicated school police liaison officers to keep illegal vapes out of schools, and review both on the spot fines and underage sales for non-nicotine vapes.
Our youth vaping call for evidence closed on the 6 June. This call explored a range of issues and asked questions related to the appeal of vapes to children. We are analysing responses and the evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. This will include an assessment of the appeal of flavours. We will publish the response early this autumn to outline our next steps.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of smoking cessation (a) products and (b) approaches; and what research his Department has commissioned into the efficacy of smoking cessation (i) products and (ii) approaches.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The assessment of the efficacy of smoking cessation products and approaches are presented in the evidence review for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline ‘Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence’ published 30 November 2021 available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng209/evidence/evidence-reviews-11188110061?tab=evidence
Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department regularly commissions research into the efficacy of smoking cessation products and approaches. Active NIHR projects include:
- Effectiveness of Electronic Cigarettes compared with combination nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease And effect on Lung health (ECAL study);
- Effects of e-cigarettes vs usual care for smoking cessation when offered at homeless centres: A cluster randomised controlled trial;
- Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (CoSTED); and
- Do e-cigarettes help smokers quit when not accompanied by intensive behavioural support?
The NIHR is also the largest funder of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group which conducts systematic reviews of the evidence on interventions to prevent and treat tobacco addiction.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of children using (a) e-cigarettes and (b) vaping products.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We have regulations in place for nicotine containing vapes (e-cigarettes) to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over 18 year olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.
However, given the changing circumstances surrounding vapes, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products.
The call for evidence has now closed. The Government is currently considering a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulations and extending regulations to include non-nicotine vaping products.
In October 2022, we published new content on the potential risks of vaping for young people on the FRANK and Better Health websites and we have provided input to educational resources produced by partners including the PSHE Association. We will shortly be adding new resources for schools on OHID’s Schools Zone web platform.
We are also developing a new resource pack for schools on vaping which will be made available by summer.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the proportion of children between the ages of 11 and 15 who regularly used e-cigarettes in each year since 2018.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Data on the proportion of children aged 11 to 15 year olds who are regular vapers is available in the Smoking, Drinking and Drug use among Young People in England publication. This is normally a biennial publication, however, the 2020 edition was delayed, therefore data is only available for 2018 and 2021. In 2018, 2% of 11 to 15 year olds were regular vapers. In 2021, 4% of 11 to 15 year-olds were regular vapers.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact on public health of second-hand vapour from e-cigarettes in public spaces.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, previously Public Health England (PHE), has published detailed evidence updates on vapes (e-cigarettes) since 2014.
The last report, published in 2022, assesses the impact on public health of second-hand vapour from e-cigarettes in public spaces. This can be seen in Chapter 7 ‘Biomarkers of Secondhand exposure’. The full report is available at the following link:
In summary, there is limited published evidence of harm to bystanders from exposure to e-cigarette vapour and the available evidence indicates that any risk of harm is extremely low, especially when compared with tobacco smoke. PHE also published advice on the use of vapes in public places and workplaces in 2016 which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-e-cigarettes-in-public-places-and-workplaces
Asked by: Ben Bradley (Conservative - Mansfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve smokers’ awareness of reduced risk products other than vapes and e-cigarettes.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government is taking a range of actions to improve smokers’ awareness of evidence-based alternatives to smoking. Evidence shows that nicotine replacement therapy along with behavioural support from a stop smoking service is the most effective way for a smoker to quit. The Government will continue to monitor evidence on other reduced risk products and their effectiveness in supporting quit attempts.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the harmfulness of (a) cinnamaldehyde and (b) other chemicals found in vaping products.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made of the estimated levels of nickel, 9B0 chromium or lead in vaping products. However, the Government recently announced £3 million of funding for a new national illicit vaping enforcement unit to tackle illicit and underage vape sales across the country. This includes the testing of products thought to be non-compliant.
The Office of Health Improvements and Disparities has published detailed evidence updates on vapes (e-cigarettes) since 2014. These reports include systematic reviews of the respiratory, cardiovascular and cancer risks as well as reports on the risks from fires, explosions and poisonings, including relating to the harmfulness of cinnamaldehyde and other chemicals. The full report is available at the following link:
Businesses supplying vapes and e-liquids to the United Kingdom market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, including relating to the safety of their products. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has produced guidance on ingredients and emission testing that companies making or importing e-cigarettes and e-liquids are required to follow, Chapter 3 - Emissions Guidance and Chapter 6 - Ingredient Guidance. This states that companies wishing to place their products on the UK market must submit information on key emissions and ingredients to the MHRA.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the levels of (a) nickel, 9B0 chromium and (c) lead in vaping products.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made of the estimated levels of nickel, 9B0 chromium or lead in vaping products. However, the Government recently announced £3 million of funding for a new national illicit vaping enforcement unit to tackle illicit and underage vape sales across the country. This includes the testing of products thought to be non-compliant.
The Office of Health Improvements and Disparities has published detailed evidence updates on vapes (e-cigarettes) since 2014. These reports include systematic reviews of the respiratory, cardiovascular and cancer risks as well as reports on the risks from fires, explosions and poisonings, including relating to the harmfulness of cinnamaldehyde and other chemicals. The full report is available at the following link:
Businesses supplying vapes and e-liquids to the United Kingdom market must ensure their products comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, including relating to the safety of their products. Local trading standards have enforcement powers to remove non-compliant products.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has produced guidance on ingredients and emission testing that companies making or importing e-cigarettes and e-liquids are required to follow, Chapter 3 - Emissions Guidance and Chapter 6 - Ingredient Guidance. This states that companies wishing to place their products on the UK market must submit information on key emissions and ingredients to the MHRA.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessments he has made of the adequacy of branding and packaging regulations for e-cigarettes manufacturers in ensuring those goods do not appeal to children and teenagers under the age of 18.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over 18 year olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.
The Department continues to work with the Advertising Standards Authority to enforce the current set of regulations and to work with platforms to improve their community guidelines.
However, given the changing circumstances surrounding vapes, the Government has launched a call for evidence on youth vaping to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. This explores issues such as the appearance and packaging of vapes, their marketing, branding and promotion, and the role of social media.
The call for evidence will close on Tuesday 6 June. Following this, the Government will consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulations.