Electronic Cigarettes: Sales
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of illegal vape retailers on legitimate local businesses.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
Retailers who sell illicit vaping products or illegally sell vapes to people underage undermine the Government’s work to protect children and the general public from the risk of harm and addiction. This also creates an unfair playing field for the vast majority of law-abiding businesses that sell these products responsibly.
To address this, the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 provides powers for ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products. A future scheme will strengthen enforcement and support law-abiding retailers, while tackling those who break the law and put illicit products on our high streets. In doing so, it will support public health.
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