The government is “actively considering” introducing a vape licensing scheme, according to Baroness Gillian Merron speaking during a House of Lords debate on youth vaping last week.
In answer to a question on whether Sir Keir Starmer’s administration would introduce this type of regulation with hefty fines to crack down on under-age sales and the availability of illicit products, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Licensing may well be beneficial for strengthening enforcement, supporting legitimate businesses, deterring rogue retailers and ultimately supporting the mission of improved public health. It is an area that we are actively considering for inclusion in the [Tobacco and Vapes] Bill.”
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) says it welcomes this development. It has long supported the introduction of vape licensing to fund a nationwide trading standards enforcement programme to punish rogue retailers who stock illicit products or sell to customers under the age of 18.
“We have been calling for a robust and effective vape licensing scheme – backed up by fines of at least £10,000 for those who sell to children – for years now, but this fell on deaf ears with the previous Conservative administration,” says UKVIA director general John Dunne.
”Such a scheme could generate upwards of £50 million per year to fund a much-needed national trading standards enforcement programme at no cost to the Treasury,” he adds.
The Conservative government had tried to rush through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill without proper debate before the General Election, he asserts. ”I am delighted that serious thought is being given to amending the proposed legislation to include vape licensing so that youth vaping can successfully be tackled and the focus of vaping can once more return to helping adult smokers quit,” he says.
“I look forward to meeting with ministers to discuss this and other ways to close the loopholes that allow illegal products to enter the supply chain here in the UK.”
