Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Written evidence submitted by Resolve ASB (TVB97)

January 2025

About us

Resolve is a trade association of members concerned with community safety and antisocial behaviour. We represent a wide range of members, including local authorities and housing associations. We have been working closely with HM Government and the Civil Service for over 27 years to develop best practice and national policy around anti-social behaviour (ASB) and other community safety issues, including drug dealing, knife crime, vandalism, intimidation, harassment, neighbour disputes and much more.

Summary

We support the wider ambitions and proposals of the bill.

Resolve has an interest in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill as a leading voice in community safety. At Resolve we are acutely aware of the importance of intervention and prevention. A large portion of our focus therefore concerns young people and vaping, as we realise how important prevention, and therefore safeguarding our young people, is for community safety. We highlight how harmful vaping is on young people, and how it is perceived in the wider community. Addictive, cheap and disposable products such as vapes are found to attract antisocial behaviour to areas, perceived or not. Schools are often faced with disruptive behaviour, as a result. Wider enforcement powers, such as the ability to use a licensing system for these products, enables a wider toolkit to disrupt the illegal selling of these products, and the cumulative and often corrosive effect of perceived antisocial behaviour from the community.

Vaping among Young People

Regulating the packaging of vapes and other tobacco and nicotine products

It was found, through collaboration with members, that a large proportion of children are beginning, or already using, vaping products. Of a survey obtained by Resolve, it was found that of 290 responses; 46% of these respondents have tried vaping whereas 54% have not. Of those that do, 46% are vaping at least 5 times a day, and 19% are vaping on a weekly basis or more. It was also found that the biggest supply of vapes to young people came from friends (68%), this was followed by given by parents (22%) and purchased from a shop (22%).

14% of respondents have purchased vapes from stores and have not been asked to prove their age. It was found therefore, that the results indicate that underage sales rates are higher for vapes than alcohol.

This corroborates other research from other bodies such as the British Medical Association (BMA) which finds that while the use of cigarette has declined over recent years, vaping has increased. This is most found in children, with their figures finding that 7.6% of 11–17-year-olds are now vaping regularly or occasionally, compared starkly to 1.3% in 2014. [1]

The growing rise of vaping among young people is often facilitated by the colourful branding, including sweet flavours found on many vaping products. Research from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the most frequently used vape liquid flavour, among current British youth (11-17) was fruit flavours at 59%, and chocolate, desserts, sweets, coffee and vanilla behind at 16%. [2]

New powers, therefore, to regulate the packaging of vapes and other tobacco and nicotine products, is welcomed.

Public Health

Vaping among young people is a concern for a variety of reasons, not least for the concerns of unknown long-term health consequences as reported by Health Behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC). The addictive nature of the products and the nature of using these products and disposing of them, was also found to create an elevated sense of antisocial behaviour in communities.

Public health and antisocial behaviour often interlink, and in the spirit of prevention, it is key to point out that recent survey data from HBSC England, points to the fact that Adolescents who reported higher wellbeing scores with their mental health, were less likely to report regular vaping. [3]

It is also therefore welcomed that anyone born in or after January 2009, will no long being able to purchase tobacco, herbal smoking and cigarette papers.

Enforcement

Of the proposed enforcement changes due to the bill, we see a few as key. These are powers to enable trading standards to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for breaches of age of sale, proxy purchasing, distribution, tobacco notice and display restrictions. And the creation of a licensing scheme for tobacco and nicotine products (including vapes) so that only premises which have a license can sell them.

As reported in the prior findings in this document, there are noted supply issues prevalent in our communities. Consistent, and well-funded enforcement, is needed to ensure the prevention of antisocial behaviour. Councils such as Somerset, report that the selling of vapes to children lead to reports of anti-social behaviour in the local area. This is in large part due to having a perceived negative impact on nearby business and their customers. [4]

Therefore, attempts to strengthen enforcement is welcomed. The scale of the problem however is that more than a million illegal vapes were seized by Trading Standards in 2023/2024, as shown from new data released from National Trading Standards (NTS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). [5] Any further enforcement because of this piece of legislation must therefore be followed through with robust funding.

We do therefore hope the above information is of use to the committee, as it continues to pose to deal with a serious public health issue.

Resolve ASB

Kennedy House, 31 Stamford St, Altrincham WA14 1ES

Signed on behalf of Rebecca Bryant CEO

January 2025