Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

Smoking Cessation: Prescription of E-cigarettes

01 November 2021 · 10 other contributors

Opened by Maggie Throup Con Derby South

NHS

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Maggie Throup raised concerns about smoking cessation: prescription of e-cigarettes in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The government aims to reduce smoking rates and improve public health, with current rates at 13.9%, the lowest on record.
  • Tobacco use is a major cause of avoidable premature death in England and contributes to health disparities.
  • The goal is for England to be smoke-free by 2030 through an ambitious tobacco control plan.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Maggie Throup

The Minister emphasised the government's commitment to reducing smoking rates and improving public health, noting that current smoking rates stand at 13.9%, the lowest on record. She highlighted that tobacco use remains a significant contributor to avoidable premature death in England and exacerbates health disparities between rich and poor. The goal is for England to be smoke-free by 2030 through an ambitious tobacco control plan, which will soon include licensing e-cigarettes as medicinal products. This development aims to enhance healthcare professionals' confidence in recommending e-cigarettes for smoking cessation on prescription. However, the Minister acknowledged that there could still be a lengthy process of up to 18-24 months before any e-cigarette is licensed and available as a prescription medicine.

Other contributors (10)
  • Jon Ashworth Lab Derby South

    Question

    Welcomed the announcement of e-cigarettes available on prescription but criticised the timing and raised concerns over cuts to smoking cessation services amounting to £22 million in five years. Asked for a guarantee that no further funding cuts will be made, and about the timeline for the publication of the tobacco control plan.

    Minister reply

    Welcomed support from the Shadow Health Secretary and clarified that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidance provides details on licensing e-cigarettes as medicinal products. Noted an 18-24 month process for licensing a product if submitted today, but no further information could be provided at this stage. Emphasised that funding is available through public health grants which increased by £135 million in 2020-21 and by £55 million in 2021-22.

  • Robert Goodwill Con Scarborough and Whitby

    Question

    Asked the Minister to engage with her counterpart in the Home Office to ensure that combating tobacco smuggling remains a priority for Border Force.

    Minister reply

    Pledged to engage with her opposite number in the Home Office to address issues related to illicit import of cigarettes.

  • Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield

    Question

    Asked about analysis on long-term harm and addiction from switching from traditional tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes, noting that some users consume more nicotine than they did with traditional cigarettes.

    Minister reply

    Acknowledged the need for further investigation but emphasised that evidence shows e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking tobacco and can help people stop smoking completely.

  • Caroline Johnson Con Sleaford and North Hykeham

    Question

    Concerned about potential long-term harm from e-cigarette use, particularly regarding protection of children from second-hand vaping exposure.

    Minister reply

    Reiterated that the goal is to ensure people move from smoking to e-cigarettes and then quit altogether. Emphasised that e-cigarettes are a gateway to quitting.

  • Mary Glindon Lab Newcastle upon Tyne East

    Question

    Asked about delegates attending COP9 and their approach given the World Health Organisation's stance against vaping.

    Minister reply

    Noted that officials will attend COP9 to promote a pragmatic, evidence-based UK approach to e-cigarettes.

  • Bob Blackman Con Harrow East

    Question

    I declare an interest as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on smoking and health. Clearly the best way of ceasing smoking is to stop altogether. I welcome the fact that this proposal was originally contained in the last tobacco control plan in 2017, so I congratulate my hon. Friend on her prompt action on assuming the job. We will get an opportunity to debate the tobacco control plan on 16 November in Westminster Hall, and I trust she will reply to that debate. Will this particular proposal be targeted at the extreme smokers—the people who are hardened smokers and smoke a lot—and pregnant women to encourage them to give up?

    Minister reply

    I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I am looking forward to our debate in a couple of weeks’ time. As I mentioned earlier, the NHS already has measures in place through the long-term plan to help those who are pregnant to stop smoking. That is important. Should e-cigarettes be licensed as a medicinal product, it will be a gateway for those smokers to stop smoking through that method and hopefully stop smoking completely.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Question

    What investment will the Government put into research into the long-term use of e-cigarettes, so that we can understand the impact that will have? Will the Minister also commit to invest in health checks, so that we can screen people for public health issues, such as smoking and other forms of harm, and get the right interventions at the right time and address these issues?

    Minister reply

    This Government are determined to level up, and as part of that we are levelling up for health, as well as some of the issues that the hon. Lady mentioned. Our Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will play a big role in moving forward with this issue.

  • Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay

    Question

    We know that smoking is a key cause of major health inequalities across the country between different demographics and different areas. Does my hon. Friend agree that if we want to level up health outcomes in the country, we will need to target products to support people by providing effective alternatives to smoking? As a smoker who wants to quit, I have seen many of my friends using multiple different products recently, from snus to heat-not-burn. Will she consider other options, in addition to e-cigarettes, that can cause less harm and enable people like me to quit?

    Minister reply

    My hon. Friend tempts me to say that he is a great role model. Perhaps he should try e-cigarettes and then probably try stopping smoking completely. He can put that message out across the Chamber about why levelling up is so important.

  • Matthew Hancock

    Question

    I welcome not only the Minister’s emphatic support for the cessation of smoking by 2030 as a target, but the cross-party support. We have seen in this short discussion today unanimous support for the use of e-cigarettes as a route out of smoking. The UK is one of the most advanced countries in the world in the proper evidence-led approach to the use of e-cigarettes. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is perfectly placed to herald that evidence and make sure the approach is evidence-based. Can she assure me that we will speed up the processes as much as possible? We must follow the evidence, but we must follow it rapidly.

    Minister reply

    I thank my right hon. Friend for the work he has done on this important issue. He is right that the MHRA’s expertise is recognised worldwide, so it is only right that it looks at it, and it provided clarification last week. As health disparities are so important, it is fantastic that we have cross-party support on the issue.

Shadow Comment

Jon Ashworth

The Shadow Health Secretary welcomed the announcement but criticised the timing, noting that it was first made public via press release rather than in Parliament. He questioned the Minister about the timeframe for more details and when prescriptions would be issued. Additionally, he raised concerns over cuts to smoking cessation services amounting to £22 million over five years, particularly in areas with high levels of heart disease, cancer, and stroke. He called on the government to guarantee no further funding cuts and pressed the Minister about the publication date for the tobacco control plan.

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