Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Vaping: Young People

Tuesday 11 July 2023 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Minister acknowledges concerns about vaping among young people and has taken action through a 3 million initiative to combat illegal sales to children.
  • The Government has announced further measures in response to the issue of vaping products appealing to children, including a call for evidence to inform future actions.
  • The Minister highlights the ongoing work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on licensing e-cigarettes to address safety and regulatory concerns.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Cunningham Lab
Context

The concern over the rise of vaping among young individuals and its potential risks.

Question

What steps he is taking to tackle vaping by young people?

Answer from Steve Barclay

The hon. Gentleman raises a point of concern across the House that we recognise. That is why we have already taken action, through £3 million to crack down on those selling vapes illegally to children, closing the loophole that allowed free samples to be offered to children, and our call for evidence, so that we can examine what further measures we can take, particularly on the concerns about disposable vapes, which are prevalent among children.

Answered
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Q2 Alex Cunningham Lab
NHS
Context

Labour's proposal to restrict the promotion of e-cigarettes aimed at young people was rejected by the Government.

Question

That is helpful, but Labour proposed a new clause to the Health and Care Bill that would have given the Government the primary powers needed to stop the use of sweet names such as gummy bears and Skittles, bright colours and cartoon characters on packaging and labelling of e-cigarettes. The Minister will agree that such promotion aimed directly at young people is highly unacceptable and takes us back to the worst days of cigarette advertising. If the Government are so committed to acting in this space, why did they vote down that new clause?

Answer from Steve Barclay

As I say, we have already taken action. We took measures in April, and the Prime Minister announced further measures in May. We are keen to follow the evidence. That is why we have had a call for evidence. The ministerial team are looking extremely closely at this, and we will take further action to clamp down on something that we all recognise is a risk to children, which is why we are acting on it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific reasons for voting down Labour's new clause were not addressed.

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Q3 Maggie Throup Con
NHS
Context

Concern over the licensing of e-cigarettes and other inhaled nicotine-containing products by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Question

Vapes are smoking-cessation products; they are not confectionery to be sold to children or a way of replacing one generation hooked on nicotine with another. Will my right hon. Friend update the House on the progress that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has made on licensing e-cigarettes and other inhaled nicotine-containing products as medicines, which would put out a strong message that vaping is a dangerous pastime?

Answer from Steve Barclay

As a former Health Minister, my hon. Friend is well aware of the risks posed by vaping. As the chief medical officer has said, “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don't smoke, don't vape”. That is why we are toughening up the regime. We are also working with industry as part of our call for evidence, but we are clear on the need to go further. That is exactly what we will do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific progress made by MHRA was not addressed.

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Q4 Martyn Day SNP
Context

Concern over the potential risk of nicotine addiction and tobacco use among youth due to e-cigarettes.

Question

Youngsters who try e-cigarettes are at much greater risk of both nicotine addiction and later going on to use tobacco itself, so what consideration have this Government given to banning disposable vapes completely as a way of protecting our young people?

Answer from Steve Barclay

Again, I agree that disposable vapes are a particular concern: in our view, the growth in youth vaping is largely due to the growth in the use of disposable vapes. That is why we have particularly focused on that issue in our call for evidence, and that is what we are considering.

Partly answered

Not addressed: A specific ban on disposable vapes was not committed to.

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