National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that:

a) smoking kills 5,600 people a year in Wales and places a huge burden on the Welsh NHS of more than £300 million each year;

b) smoking is the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature death in Wales, causing 3,100 cases of cancer each year;

c) Wales is experiencing a marked increase in the reports of young people vaping, coupled with a sharp increase in the number of retailers selling nicotine products;

d) an increase in nicotine dependency among younger people will demand additional nicotine cessation support in Wales; and

e) the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other, and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) commit to the full implementation of chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 which would enable the:

i) establishment of a national register of retailers of tobacco and nicotine products;

ii) adding of offences which contribute to a restricted premises order in Wales, enabling enforcement officers to prohibit a retailer from selling tobacco or nicotine products for up to a year; and

iii) prohibition of the handing over of tobacco and nicotine products to a person under the age of 18;

b) ensure that the Tobacco Control Strategic Board makes the implementation of a tobacco and nicotine retail register a priority action in the second phase of the tobacco control action plan for Wales 2024-2026;

c) commit to a fully-funded communications campaign to support the implementation and subsequent regulatory and legislative changes; and

d) establish a working group to;

i) oversee the timely implementation of the retail register;

ii) explore how the retail register could provide a pathway to a licensing scheme and/or tools for additional enforcement; and

iii) present the data gathered from the register to help target smoking cessation and public protection efforts.