65% increase in confirmed cases of NI businesses selling vapes to minors
There has been a 55% increase in fines issued to Northern Ireland businesses caught selling vaping products to underage people.
A new report shows that compared to 2022, there has been a 67% increase in the number of warnings issued per confirmed case in 2023.
The findings in the 2024 Underage Vape Sales Report examines the issue of underage vape sales in the UK. To investigate the issue, they submitted a Freedom of Information request to all local authorities – 138 provided data and 98 councils provided test purchasing data, with data spanning 2019 to 2023.
While underage vape sales are a nationwide concern, reporting and enforcement levels vary across the regions. A little over one in three (35%) reports of underage vape sales in London resulted in a seller being caught – two-fold higher than the UK average, and the highest across the UK when compared to Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and England authorities outside London.
In Belfast, all 77 perpetrators caught selling vapes to underage people since the turn of the decade were fined.
In Northern Ireland there has been a 65% increase since 2022 in confirmed cases of businesses unlawfully selling vaping products to underage persons – 61 perpetrators were caught in 2023.
Some of the key findings from the report show that in 2023, an underage vape sale was reported every two hours in the UK – 31% higher compared to the previous year.
While two perpetrators were caught per day selling vapes to underage people in 2023, 83% of reports of underage vape sales still resulted in no perpetrator being identified. Of those caught, the average fine issued was £400, six times lower than the maximum fine of £2500.
The data points of the research focused on reports of underage vape sales; test purchases for underage vape sales, from enforcement agencies in each local authority; retailers caught selling to underage persons, either by test purchase or other methods; and warnings, fines or penalties issued to rogue traders.
The report shows that while progress is being made, it’s clear that there is still more that can be done to tackle the issue of underage vape sales in the UK, and it has proposed a Vape Retail & Distributor Licensing Framework.
Some of the aims of the framework include to create a sustainable and viable funding base for enforcement and inspection functions relating to the vape sector; to foster a more responsible and accountable sector by tackling key concerns and challenges, such as youth access and illicit product sales; and to better enable regulators and Trading Standards to proactively enforce existing and future legislation.
