Agenda item

To provide an update to the Committee about the work being undertaken by the Public Protection Partnership to reduce the consumption of vaping products by young people across the partnership areas.

The Committee considered the report (Agenda Item 10) which provided an updated on the work being undertaken by the Public Protection Partnership to reduce the consumption of vaping products by young people across the Partnership area.

George Lawrence outlined that while vaping was substantially less harmful than smoking it was not risk free and vaping by young people was of particular concern. Vapes were an age restricted product and were addictive as they contained nicotine. The number of young people vaping had grown and the marketing of vapes was of concern as this was felt to make vaping appealing to youngsters.

Central Government had looked to take action. Single use vapes were to be banned and tax laws were to be tightened to help fund enforcement action.

Responsible disposal of vapes was also being promoted.

Work undertaken by the PPP had been successful but areas of non-compliance remained. The PPP would continue to have a role in this area in line with Government legislation. Government funding was being made available for enhanced enforcement work.

Councillor Iskandar Jefferies requested further information on seized products (as outlined in paragraph 3.22 of the report). He queried if they were seized post testing or based on labelling of products.

George Lawrence explained that products were collected on the basis of intelligence gathered, but labelling was also a factor. Sean Murphy added that officers needed to have grounds to seize products on suspicion of non-compliance and labelling was a starting point. The distribution of products to retailers was also looked at to ensure this was legitimate.

Councillor Lee Dillon noted from the report a non-compliance failure rate of 70%. This high percentage was very concerning and he queried whether information would be provided to the public on this.

George Lawrence explained that the products in question had been approved by the regulator and there was therefore concern in relation to quality assurance and control at the manufacturing stage. The PPP was part of a regional approach with other local authorities and relevant organisations working together on this matter.

Councillor Dillon requested that this become an annual item to keep Members informed. It would be useful for future versions of the report to contain, for example, further detail on non-compliance rates.

George Lawrence confirmed that the 70% failure rate concerned the contents of legal products. This was separate to the seized (illegal) vapes referred to earlier in the debate.

Councillor Dillon queried when the public would be made aware of offending premises. Sean Murphy advised of recent publicity after a successful prosecution case, with other cases under review by the Case Management Team. The public could be made aware if there was a conviction, beyond that publicity was restricted.

Councillor Dillon followed this by questioning if publicity was possible should a premises receive a warning. He felt this was important for public protection. Sean Murphy agreed to pursue this with officers in Legal. He added that future reports would include options available in this regard.

Councillor Guy Gillbe sought assurance that the messages being delivered within schools on the risks of vaping were appropriate and served to discourage rather than potentially encourage use of vapes. Sean Murphy described the extensive history of work in educational settings on age restricted products. A key aspect was making young people aware of the risks involved with vaping.

RESOLVED that the report be noted and that this matter become an annual agenda item.