sylvia2406
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2015
- Messages
- 4
I have posted here because I keep getting logged out of this site. I have been a member here for some time but have never managed to post anything. I think this is the first post that has been successful so I am staying here even though this may be in the wrong section.
I have emailed four Labour MPs, Jeremy Corbyn and two Conservative MPs and have just received a "proper" reply from Heidi Alexander:
Dear Ms Panrucker
Thank you for contacting me regarding Lord Callanan's motion in the House of Lords to annul the regulations which transpose the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into UK law.
Firstly, I share your views about the benefits of vaping over smoking and I believe that recent research shows that some of the initial concerns about e-cigarettes were overstated. Vaping can be a safe and effective way to give up smoking and I believe the Government should be doing more to promote e-cigarettes as a potentially useful aid to help people quit smoking.
However if Lord Callanan's motion to annul the TPD regulations was to pass this would mean that all the positive changes brought in by these regulations to help smokers quit and make smoking less attractive to younger people, would be also removed. These changes include, but are not limited to, larger health warnings on all cigarette packs, picture warnings on the front of all packs and information on all packs about where to get help quitting. These are incredibly important changes and whilst we believe the Government does need to do more to address concerns of vapers, Labour is not able to support annulling these regulations given their wider benefits.
The Labour Party has tabled its own "regret motion", a copy of which can be viewed below, and this sets out some of our concerns with the regulations. These concerns include the failure of the Government to establish a monitoring mechanism to measure whether the directive will have a negative impact on the number of smokers using electronic cigarettes, and the failure of the Government to launch a public awareness campaign re-assuring smokers that vaping is much less harmful than smoking.
I note concerns have been raised about the ban on nicotine content above 20mg/ml that is contained in the regulations. Whilst it is true that stronger products will in future need to be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, for many people this will make little difference as the most popular liquids tend to be those products with concentrations of nicotine lower than 20mg/ml.
I am also aware of concerns that the regulations place limits on ‘container’ size and ‘tank capacity’. Whilst I understand these concerns, it is important to note that the prohibition of container size to 10ml only comes into force on 20 May 2017, which allows ample time for manufacturers to make the better quality e-liquids available within the legal size limit.
Overall, I believe these regulations as a whole will help reduce the uptake of smoking amongst young people, and help ensure the safety and quality of e-cigarettes.
Thank you once again for getting in touch on this important issue.
Best wishes
Heidi Alexander MP
†Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to move that, in the light of the concerns about the impact of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 on the use of electronic cigarettes, this House regrets that there is not a monitoring mechanism in place to measure whether the Regulations will have a negative impact on the number of smokers using electronic cigarettes to give up smoking; that the Regulations are not to be accompanied by a public information campaign to reassure smokers that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than normal smoking; that smoking cessation services are being cut back at the same time as the Regulations are being introduced; and that the Regulations are due for implementation before the Government has published their tobacco strategy (SI 2015/507).
I have emailed four Labour MPs, Jeremy Corbyn and two Conservative MPs and have just received a "proper" reply from Heidi Alexander:
Dear Ms Panrucker
Thank you for contacting me regarding Lord Callanan's motion in the House of Lords to annul the regulations which transpose the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into UK law.
Firstly, I share your views about the benefits of vaping over smoking and I believe that recent research shows that some of the initial concerns about e-cigarettes were overstated. Vaping can be a safe and effective way to give up smoking and I believe the Government should be doing more to promote e-cigarettes as a potentially useful aid to help people quit smoking.
However if Lord Callanan's motion to annul the TPD regulations was to pass this would mean that all the positive changes brought in by these regulations to help smokers quit and make smoking less attractive to younger people, would be also removed. These changes include, but are not limited to, larger health warnings on all cigarette packs, picture warnings on the front of all packs and information on all packs about where to get help quitting. These are incredibly important changes and whilst we believe the Government does need to do more to address concerns of vapers, Labour is not able to support annulling these regulations given their wider benefits.
The Labour Party has tabled its own "regret motion", a copy of which can be viewed below, and this sets out some of our concerns with the regulations. These concerns include the failure of the Government to establish a monitoring mechanism to measure whether the directive will have a negative impact on the number of smokers using electronic cigarettes, and the failure of the Government to launch a public awareness campaign re-assuring smokers that vaping is much less harmful than smoking.
I note concerns have been raised about the ban on nicotine content above 20mg/ml that is contained in the regulations. Whilst it is true that stronger products will in future need to be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, for many people this will make little difference as the most popular liquids tend to be those products with concentrations of nicotine lower than 20mg/ml.
I am also aware of concerns that the regulations place limits on ‘container’ size and ‘tank capacity’. Whilst I understand these concerns, it is important to note that the prohibition of container size to 10ml only comes into force on 20 May 2017, which allows ample time for manufacturers to make the better quality e-liquids available within the legal size limit.
Overall, I believe these regulations as a whole will help reduce the uptake of smoking amongst young people, and help ensure the safety and quality of e-cigarettes.
Thank you once again for getting in touch on this important issue.
Best wishes
Heidi Alexander MP
†Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to move that, in the light of the concerns about the impact of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 on the use of electronic cigarettes, this House regrets that there is not a monitoring mechanism in place to measure whether the Regulations will have a negative impact on the number of smokers using electronic cigarettes to give up smoking; that the Regulations are not to be accompanied by a public information campaign to reassure smokers that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than normal smoking; that smoking cessation services are being cut back at the same time as the Regulations are being introduced; and that the Regulations are due for implementation before the Government has published their tobacco strategy (SI 2015/507).
