Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he expects the vaping product registration scheme to be fully operational before the commencement of the Vaping Products Duty in October 2026; and what contingency arrangements will apply if implementation timetables differ.

Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to develop a new registration and testing scheme for all vape, nicotine, and tobacco products. This will replace the current notification system and competent authority function which will remain in place until the new regulations. Our current intention is for the new scheme to be operational by the end of this Parliament.

While they are linked, there are differences between the future registration scheme and the Vaping Products Duty, commencing in October 2026, which will provide civil and criminal powers for HM Revenue and Customs to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit products.