Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Lynne Neagle has confirmed the Welsh Government will press ahead with plans to ban disposable vapes and support UK Government legislation to increase the smoking age and restrict sales of vapes.

It follows publication of the outcome of the four nations consultation ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping’.

The consultation closed on 6 December and received 27,921 responses, 1,018 from Wales.

The UK Government will now bring forward a Tobacco and Vapes Bill at the earliest opportunity that will take measures to:

• change the age of sale for all tobacco products, cigarette papers and herbal smoking products whereby anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never legally be sold (and also in Scotland never legally purchase) tobacco products alongside prohibiting proxy sales, and changing warning notices
• introduce regulation making powers to restrict flavours, point of sale and packaging for vaping products (nicotine and non-nicotine) as well as other consumer nicotine products
• introduce new enforcement powers for England and Wales for breaches of age of sale legislation for tobacco and vapes (nicotine and non-nicotine) and other consumer nicotine products

The Welsh Government, along with the UK and Scottish governments intend to introduce legislation to implement a ban on disposable vapes, including both nicotine and non-nicotine containing products due to their significant environmental impacts.