Tobacco and Vapes Bill will save lives in Northern Ireland – Nesbitt

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has welcomed the NI Assembly's support for Northern Ireland's inclusion in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The Minister was speaking following a vote on a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) to include Northern Ireland in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The Bill will create a smoke free generation by making it an offence for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to be sold tobacco products and ban the sale of non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products to under 18s. The Bill also provides powers for the extension of smoke-free places. In the longer term the Bill will introduce retail licensing provisions.

Minister Nesbitt said: “Smoking is the number one cause of preventable illness and premature death. Each year over 2,000 people in Northern Ireland die from smoking related conditions and it increases the risk of over 50 serious health conditions. 

“Smoking rates in areas of higher deprivation are typically almost three times the rate in the least deprived areas, leading to associated higher rates of smoking related illness and harm from exposure to second hand smoke for people living in these areas.  

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a landmark step which provides us with an opportunity to reduce preventable deaths and health inequalities across Northern Ireland and protect our children, young people and future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine addiction.”

The Bill will also extend the existing tobacco vending machine ban to include cigarette papers, vapes and other nicotine products and will also extend the Tobacco Retailers Register to include retailers that sell vapes and other nicotine products, while consideration is given to the introduction of a licensing scheme in the longer term, subject to public consultation..

The Bill also provides powers to each UK administration to extend smoke-free places to include outside areas such as those that are workplaces or open to the public, and to allow for regulations making smoke-free places also vape-free and heated tobacco-free. This will also be informed by public consultation.

Minister Nesbitt continued: “In 2019/20 NI hospitals spent £218million treating smoking attributable conditions. This Bill not only provides an opportunity to save lives but also to reduce the ever-increasing pressures on our health services. I am delighted that Members have voted in support of Northern Ireland's inclusion in this groundbreaking legislation.”

The UK-wide consultation ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping' had strong support from Northern Ireland and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has the support of cancer charities, political representatives and the four UK Chief Medical Officers.

Welcoming the support for the legislative consent motion, Professor Sir Michael McBride, said: “As Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, I welcome this significant step towards a smoke-free Northern Ireland. Smoking is a life limiting addiction and two thirds of smokers wish they had never started. I am extremely concerned about the significant rise in the prevalence of vaping amongst young people, given the evidence of a gateway effect between vaping, subsequent cigarette use and the blatant marketing of vapes to young people. We need to stop the deliberate addiction of two-thirds of adult smokers who begin smoking before the age of 18, over 80% of whom become addicted before the age of 20.

“There will be no restrictions on people who can already legally smoke, but the robust measures in this Bill seek to address the appeal of vapes to children and young people and over time will break the cycle of addiction and harm.”

Notes to editors:

1. The ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping' consultation outcome can be found on the Department of Health and Social Care website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping
2. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill was introduced to the UK Parliament on 5 November 2024.
3. The Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons on 26 November 2024 and on 30 January, the Public Bills Committee completed its scrutiny of the Bill. It is expected that the Report Stage will commence in March 2025.
4. The NI Assembly voted in support of a motion to include Northern Ireland in the UK-wide legislation: https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/legislation/legislative-consent/legislative-consent-memorandums/tobacco-and-vapes-bill/.
5. Further information on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is available at https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3879 and at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smoking-ban-introduced-to-protect-children-and-most-vulnerable.
6. Advice and information on local smoking cessation services can be obtained at: Local help and support | Stop Smoking (stopsmokingni.info)(external link opens in a new window / tab)