Tobacco & Vapes Bill passes into law
The Tobacco & Vapes Bill has officially become law, having passed through the House of Commons, House of Lords and received Royal Assent.
Consideration of Commons amendments/reasons on the bill took place in the House of Lords on 20th April, and with both Houses having agreed on the text of the Bill, it proceeded to the final stage, receiving Royal Assent on 29th April, when it became an Act of Parliament (law).
This now means that children born after 1st January 2009 now face a lifelong ban from purchasing cigarettes, as the government aims to create a smoke-free generation.
Additionally, from 29th October 2026, it will also be illegal to sell non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products to under 18s.
NI Assembly members had previously voted in support of the region’s inclusion in the Tobacco & Vapes Bill in February last year, following a plenary debate on the Legislative Consent Motion on the Bill.
There has been some concern and criticism of the bill, with the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association stating the generational ban “lacks common sense” while also completely disregarding the unintended consequences, with the UKVIA adding that while it supports the need to tackle youth sales, it was necessary not to ignore those adult smokers who turn to vapes in a bid to stop smoking.
National President of the Fed, Hetal Patel said that concerns remain, especially around the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes.
“Whilst this Bill has developed, we have engaged closely with the Government and MPs from all parties about the potential impact of changes including the Generational Smoking Ban and licence of tobacco retailers.
“We welcome societal changes which have seen a dramatic fall in cigarette smoking over the past half a century – from about 45% in the mid-1970s, to less than a quarter of that today – but are concerned that a generational smoking ban relating to cigarettes and taxation on vapes will lead to these products being driven underground into the black market. We also worry that licencing will hit legitimate retailers with costs and red tape, unless it is properly used as a deterrent to restrict rogue traders which give our high streets a bad name.
“We are calling on the government to quickly engage more closely with retailers about how the measures in the Bill will be implemented – particularly on the Generational Ban and Licencing – and to provide extra resources for law enforcement, especially local authority trading standards teams, so more can be done to tackle illicit tobacco.”
