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 prevent the advertising of vapes and tobacco products alongside items such as toys and sweets in retail settings; and what assessment he has made of the potential steps of further restricting advertisements to ensure such products are not marketed in a way that could appeal to children.

Evidence shows that comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising have had a significant impact on reducing consumption, but partial bans have had no significant effect. This is why most forms of advertising and promotion of tobacco products are already banned under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. These products are also hidden from display in most retail settings to protect children and young people from the harms of tobacco.

We know that vapes and other nicotine products are being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children, and it is concerning that youth vaping has more than doubled over the past five years.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children and will extend current tobacco advertising restrictions to vaping products and nicotine products. The bill also gives us the powers to make regulations to restrict the display of these products in stores. We will consult on display proposals later this year.

The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the bill, including on the prohibition on the advertising of vaping and nicotine products. The Government will monitor the impact of these restrictions following their implementation.