Yvonne Fovargue MP: highlighting the dangers of vaping for children

Selling vapes or e-cigarettes to children is illegal, but that has still not stopped a rise in 11 to 17-year-olds experimenting with vaping – from 7.7 per cent in 2022 up to 11.6 per cent in 2023, according to a survey for Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).

About 15 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds and 18 per cent of 18-year-olds are current vapers, it suggests.

Brightly coloured nicotine vapes in a variety of flavours, which are used once and then thrown away, are the most popular product among teenagers, who tend to get them from corner shops for about £5 each.

Even the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently said it was "ridiculous" that vapes were designed and promoted to appeal to children when they were supposed to be used by adults giving up smoking.

A BBC investigation found unsafe levels of lead, nickel and chromium in vapes confiscated from a secondary school, which could end up being inhaled into children's lungs.

Scientists analysing the vapes said they were the worst lab test results of their kind they had ever seen.

Most were illegal and had not gone through any kind of testing before being sold in the UK.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) now says the UK government should "without a doubt" ban disposable e-cigarettes.

Apart from the serious health issues, vapes are also damaging our environment.

The Government has no current plans to ban single use vapes, but it has promised to review the Waste Regulations, with a view to introducing measures aimed at driving up levels of collections of waste electricals, including vapes, to ensure more of these products are properly recycled. However, progress has been slow.

I was concerned to learn that ministers have not undertaken any assessment of the environmental impact of single use vape products, despite research suggesting at least 1.3 million are thrown away each week across the UK.

The incorrect disposal of these devices can have significant consequences for our environment.

This is unsustainable and, in my view, requires urgent action, including giving councils the resources they need to keep our communities clean and safe.

I want all children to be not just smoke-free but vape-free. That is why I supported attempts in Parliament to prohibit branding on e-cigarette packaging that is appealing to children. Disappointingly, Conservative MPs rejected the amendment and it was defeated.

It is important that we strike a delicate balance between supporting smokers in their journey towards a smoke-free future while safeguarding the health and well-being of our youth.

E-cigarettes are one measure that should sit within a broader public health strategy to help people live well for longer.

And I believe we should work with local councils and the NHS to ensure e-cigarettes are being used as a stop smoking aide, rather than a new form of smoking.