Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Seventh Report of Session 2017-19 of the Science and Technology Committee on E-cigarettes, HC505, what steps he has taken to ensure that the regulatory system for e-cigarettes is risk-proportionate.

The Government published its response to the Science and Technology Committee on the 10 December 2018. Good progress is being made on implementing the report’s recommendations: for example, Public Health England will publish its latest annual evidence review on e-cigarettes by the end of March 2019 and NHS England is developing guidance on e-cigarettes for mental health trusts. The Department will continue to monitor progress as part of its monitoring of the delivery of the Tobacco Control Plan for England.

The Government believes in proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes, recognising that they are not risk-free. Through the European Union Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU (TPD), transposed into United Kingdom law by the UK Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), we have introduced measures to regulate e-cigarettes to reduce the risk of harm to children, protect against any risk of renormalisation of tobacco use, provide assurance on relative safety for users, and give businesses legal certainty. This has enabled the UK to implement appropriate standards for products whilst allowing smokers to move to e-cigarettes should they wish.

While the UK Government is a member of the EU it will continue to comply with the requirements of the EU’s TPD. The Government has made a commitment to review the TRPR by May 2021 to consider its regulatory impact. In addition, as announced in the Tobacco Control Plan the Government will review where the UK’s exit from the EU offers us opportunities to re-appraise current regulation to ensure this continues to protect the nation’s health.