Thank you for contacting me about actions the Government is taking to reduce smoking rates in England.
It is important to recognise that smoking rates have been consistently declining in the UK for the past 40 years, through a combination of consumer choice and government regulation. The Government is proposing this legislation to help further reduce smoking rates among young people, and reduce the estimated £17 billion cost of smoking to the economy in England each year through lost earnings, unemployment, early deaths and costs to the NHS.
We must strengthen enforcement around the sale of illicit tobacco and vaping products. The Government is providing £30 million investment each year to prevent underage sales and tackle the import of illicit tobacco at the border. A new “illicit vapes enforcement squad” – led by Trading Standards – has been established to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.
As the single leading behavioural cause of preventable death across our country, responsible for around one in four cancer deaths and 80,000 preventable deaths per year, reducing smoking is crucial for ensuring we live longer, healthier lives.
Significant progress has been made, with smoking rates now the lowest on record, thanks to duty on cigarettes being doubled since 2010 and continued funding of stop smoking services. However, we must reduce smoking rates further given the substantial cost to the economy and the NHS.
The Government has brought forward the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to ensure that children aged 15 or younger - anyone born on or after 1 April 2009 – can not legally be sold tobacco products. By 2040, these proposals will ensure that smoking is phased out completely among young people.
These measures are focused on those who sell tobacco products or buy them on behalf of someone else. This Bill will not affect current smokers' rights or stop them from buying tobacco if they can do so today. All tobacco products - including heated tobacco and herbal smoking products - are included in the scope of the Bill. In addition, I want to clarify that a national licence scheme is not being proposed, which could have placed a greater burden on convenience stores.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me.