Government Ignores Vaping Industry

Last week, the 16-member committee was announced, only it contained no MPs who had voted against the Bill. The make-up of the Bill’s committee drew criticism from industry commentators, who labelled it “ludicrously one-sided”.

The list of MPs who voted ‘no’ makes for impressive reading, there’s a clear pool of talent there.

John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, said: “Over the last few months since the vaping consultation which led to the proposed ban on disposables, we have tried to engage with the government on numerous occasions to present our perspectives. Instead, it is clear that the government feels we are trying to derail or slowdown their plans, which could not be further from the truth.

“Whilst we do not agree with the disposable vapes ban, we accept that it is going to happen as the government feel this is the best way to tackle youth vaping, albeit this category has been instrumental in helping smokers quit. However, the government is walking blindly into a bigger problem that the Bill could address with an amendment – that being the widely predicted rise of illicit vape products in the wake of such a ban that will pose a significant public health risk to children and adults alike.

“That’s why we’ve been pushing for the introduction of a vape retailer and distributor licensing scheme to tackle this issue and deal with the unintended consequences of the ban on single use vapes, not to overturn the ban. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care only last week referred to this scheme as the line the industry is now taking, which showed absolutely no respect for our commitment to regulate our own industry. The government has completely ignored that we have been pushing for such a scheme for the last few years. The absence of a retailer and distributor licensing scheme will, if not taken on board, represent a missed opportunity for an otherwise landmark piece of legislation. If the government ignores our warning, we will ensure we hold them to account for the impacts of an out-of-control black market, as they are now seeing in Australia.”

The UKVIA says it is broadly supportive of the aims of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and the impact it is expected to have on reducing smoking and youth vaping rates. 

However, it says, in addition to pushing for the licensing scheme, it is also concerned that the absence of a statutory requirement for the Government to consult before making regulations poses a significant risk of arbitrary decision-making. 

The UKVIA has therefore submitted two amendments for the Bill committee to consider, including the call to introduce the licensing scheme, along with the need for future Governments to undertake a statutory consultation with both industry participants and the general public prior to use the powers as granted by the Bill.

Dunne added: “You really could not make this up – the committee does not include any MPs who opposed the 2nd reading of the Bill, nor has it invited anyone from the industry or vapers themselves to give evidence on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – our office has tried to make contact on a number of occasions so I could represent the industry’s interests, but to no avail. Instead, many of those asked to give evidence have publicly criticised vaping in one way or another. Not only does this risk the Bill not facing proper scrutiny prior to its third reading, but it is fundamentally undemocratic, with the people this Bill will impact the most not being able to provide evidence on how the Bill can be improved.”

Following the non-inclusion of the vaping industry and vapers to give evidence to the Bill’s Committee, the UKVIA has written to both Preet Gill, Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, and Lord Markham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Health and Social Care, expressing its disappointment at the approach being taken and asking them to challenge the selection process.

The UKVIA has also written to Dame Andrea Leadsom, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, pointing out the undemocratic approach to the selection process to give evidence to the Tobacco and Vape Bill’s Committee. At the same time, it highlighted to the Minister the “growing list of decisions by the Department of Health and Social Care to exclude the UKVIA from any meaningful collaboration with the Department.”

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.