The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will introduce strengthening restrictions on vaping, is now in its committee stage following the Bill’s second reading in the House of Commons on 26th November, when it passed with 415 votes to 47.
Wes Streeting, Secretary State for Health and Social Care, led the debate on the law, which will raise the legal age of the purchase of tobacco by one year every year. This, the government hopes will create the first smokefree generation and, eventually, a smokefree nation.
Additionally, he said: “The Bill will come down on the vaping industry like a ton of bricks, to prevent a new generation of children and young people from getting hooked on nicotine. Taken together, these measures add up to the most significant public health intervention in a generation.”
The Bill, if passed, will phase out the sale of tobacco products for those aged 15 or younger this year, bring in restrictions on vaping and introduce on the spot fines of £200 to retailers found to be selling tobacco, vape and nicotine products to people underage.
As well as powers to restrict the flavours, display and packaging of all types of vapes, and other nicotine products the Bill includes:
- A ban on vape advertising and sponsorship;
- Further powers to regulate the design of vapes;
- Powers to create a retail licensing regime for the sale of tobacco and vapes;
- Powers to extend smokefree legislation to further outdoor areas;
- Powers to prohibit vaping in smokefree places
Answering a question from St Julian Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, about whether vaping had a part to play in helping those quitting smoking, the Secretary of State agreed it did. However, he added: “Ask any teacher in the country; they will talk about the signs of nicotine addiction that they see in their pupils, and about having to monitor school toilets to stop children congregating to vape. It is urgent and necessary to act today to protect this generation of kids from a new addiction, and that is exactly what we will do.”
There were some concerns expressed during the debate about the potential burden on small businesses of the proposed licensing scheme for the selling of vapes and cigarettes and some questioned why there was not an outright ban on smoking being introduced as opposed to the phased approach to buying cigarettes.
Closing the debate, Andrew Gwynne, Parliamentary under-secretary of state for Health and Social care said that local government will take the lead on licensing and the government would consult widely on how it would bring forward the regime.
The Bill will now have more detailed scrutiny in its committee stage and interested parties will be asked to give evidence. Once the committee of MPs reports back to Parliament, the Bill proceeds to the report and third reading before repeating the same process in the House of Lords.
Before the legislation, which will introduce these vaping restrictions, comes into force UK schools are finding they need to tackle the growing numbers of their students who have taken up the habit right now. Staff training, student education and developing the right policies will help, but many schools have found vape detectors are the key to success in tackling vaping among students.
We supply the HALO Smart Sensor which can help schools to combat vaping. If you want to know more, please contact us.