Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

The rise in vaping among children and young people is very concerning. These products have no place in the hands of children and young people however, we know they are being actively targeted at them. Addressing youth vaping is therefore at the heart of the measures in the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was laid before Parliament on 20 March 2024.

Last year, Public Health Wales established a Vaping Among Children and Young People Incident Response Group to understand the scale of the issue in Wales. In addition to gathering evidence and data and investigating possible causes, the group looked to establish control measures to reduce the risk of ongoing harm and develop multi agency actions in Wales. It published its report on 18 April, highlighting the need to support young people who are addicted to nicotine in vapes. This is an area I know PHW is already looking at, including how we adapt our services to better support people, including young people to quit their nicotine addiction. I will be considering the report’s recommendations carefully in due course.

I am aware of the challenges vape use presents for schools. In September 2023, PHW published Information and Guidance on Vaping for Secondary-aged learners in Wales to support schools with this issue. This guidance drew on the expertise of professionals from health, education and smoking cessation services and set out 10 key actions for schools to address vaping, including those related to policies and practices, communication and support. Guidance was also provided on how to engage with young people who are using vapes as well as recommendations for appropriate actions and referrals. Building on this guidance, resources to support teachers to understand the issues and impact of vaping on learners and to incorporate that understanding into their teaching have been developed by the PHW and are currently being piloted with an expectation that they will be available before the end of the school year. These resources are all aimed at supporting schools to take consistent and effective action to address vaping amongst the learners they support.

We are taking action on single-use (disposable) vapes. Not only do these products have significant environmental impacts, but they are also understood to be an important driver of the recent increases in youth vaping. The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs recently announced our intention to ban these products from 1 April 2025. The ban in Wales will be aligned with similar action in England and Scotland and will provide businesses with the necessary time to prepare for the changes, supported by the publication of guidance and communication materials which are being developed in collaboration with business representative groups.