Correspondence May. 22 2024
Committee: Delegated Powers and Law Reform CommitteeFound: State powers to make regulations about the retail packaging, flavours and product requirements of vaping
Written Evidence May. 21 2024
Inquiry: Children, young people and the built environmentFound: tobacco-related products. 7.There is a loophole in the law which means that it is possible to advertise vaping
Mentions:
1: None That could involve gum patches or vaping products. - Speech Link
2: None The majority of users of vaping products are adults. - Speech Link
3: Harper, Emma (SNP - South Scotland) have been vaping for 10 years. - Speech Link
4: None Nobody is saying that vaping is 100 per cent safe. - Speech Link
5: None Nobody is saying that vaping is 100 per cent safe. - Speech Link
Found: To move the following Clause— “Application of Part I of the Health Act 2006 to vaping (1) The
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people who start smoking tobacco as a result of using vapes.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no current evidence to show a significant gateway effect from vaping into smoking, and no data to show the number of people who start smoking, as a result of vaping. Youth and adult smoking rates continue to fall and are at an all-time low, although they remain significant. Recent evidence shows that, for many adult smokers, vapes are an effective tool in supporting smoking cessation, especially when combined with expert support. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full
However, youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, with one in five children having now used a vape. The health advice is clear, young people, and those who have never smoked, should not vape. We have a duty to protect our children from the potential harms associated with underage vaping, while their lungs and brains are still developing. This is why we are committed to reducing the access, appeal, and affordability of vapes and tobacco through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, to stop future generations of smokers and nicotine users.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that local authority trading standards bodies have sufficient (a) funding and (b) other resources to tackle (i) illicit vapes and (ii) underage sales.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is concerned about the increase in the number of illicit vapes in the United Kingdom’s market, and the easy access and availability of these vapes to children. To strengthen our enforcement activity, we are providing an additional £30 million per year for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, to support work in tackling illicit and underage sales. We are working closely with Trading Standards to consider how the new funding can best support their programmes of local-level enforcement.
In April last year, we also provided £3 million of new funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in retail outlets and ports, upskilled Trading Standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.
The Government will also introduce fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for the underage sale of tobacco and vaping products. This will support Trading Standards in taking quicker and more proportionate enforcement action against the irresponsible retailers who allow underage sales. Enforcement authorities will retain all the proceeds from FPNs, to reinvest in the enforcement of tobacco and vaping product legislation.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the sale of illegal vapes to people under the age of 18.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is concerned about the increase in the number of illicit vapes in the United Kingdom’s market, and the easy access and availability of these vapes to children. To strengthen our enforcement activity, we are providing an additional £30 million per year for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, to support work in tackling illicit and underage sales. We are working closely with Trading Standards to consider how the new funding can best support their programmes of local-level enforcement.
In April last year, we also provided £3 million of new funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in retail outlets and ports, upskilled Trading Standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.
The Government will also introduce fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for the underage sale of tobacco and vaping products. This will support Trading Standards in taking quicker and more proportionate enforcement action against the irresponsible retailers who allow underage sales. Enforcement authorities will retain all the proceeds from FPNs, to reinvest in the enforcement of tobacco and vaping product legislation.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending the use of vapes for smoking cessation.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Recent evidence shows that, for many adult smokers, vapes can be an effective tool in supporting smoking cessation, especially when combined with expert support.
However, the health advice is clear: young people and those who have never smoked should not vape. We have a duty to protect our children from the potential harms associated with underage vaping, while their lungs and brains are still developing. This is why we are committed to reduce the access, appeal and affordability of vapes and tobacco through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to educate young people on the potential health impacts of (a) vaping and (b) nicotine pouches.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department has included a specific reference to the dangers of e-cigarettes in the amended relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance, which was published for consultation on 16 May 2024. On 1 June 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced an intervention which will take steps to prevent children obtaining e-cigarettes illegally.
The current RSHE statutory guidance, which sets out the topics the subjects should cover, already states that in primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks. This includes smoking, alcohol use and drug taking, as well as supplements drug education which is part of the National Curriculum for Key Stages 2 and 3 science.
To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the department published a suite of teacher training modules, including on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes.
Oral Evidence May. 20 2024
Inquiry: Prevention in health and social careFound: stringent measures that Government have brought in around tobacco, and we have been looking at vaping