Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to promote the use of e-cigarettes as a replacement for smoking tobacco.

Electronic cigarettes have the potential to help smokers quit smoking, and the evidence indicates that, for smokers, they are less harmful to health than cigarettes. However, they are not risk free, and therefore they should only be used as a means to help smokers quit. The best thing a smoker can do is to quit completely.

For those that cannot stop using nicotine completely, or need help not to relapse, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance already promotes the use of harm reduction strategies using a range of nicotine replacement therapies.

Any smoker wanting to quit, with or without the help of an e-cigarette, is advised to seek expert advice and support from their local stop smoking service. Smokers using the personalised support offered by stop smoking services are four times more likely to stop smoking and quit for good.

All smokers, including those who want to use e-cigarettes to help them quit, can sign up to Stoptober to receive additional help and support.