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<p>Ministers in the department are always happy to consider meetings and visits to
understand the impact of their policy areas, and we recommend reaching out to Ministers’
offices directly.</p><p>A strong approach to enforcement is vital if the smokefree
generation policy is to have real impact. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State
for Health and Social Care recently visited a cargo warehouse at Heathrow Airport
with Hillingdon Trading Standards to see first-hand the work they are doing to seize
illicit vapes at the border, and prevent these products from being sold in the United
Kingdom.</p><p>Underage and illicit sales of tobacco products, and more recently vaping
products, is undermining the work the Government is doing to regulate the industry
and protect public health. It also deprives the UK of vital money that could be used
to fund essential public services, instead, putting it in the hands of criminals.</p><p>This
is why alongside the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are supporting enforcement
agencies with up to £30 million a year, to scale up their existing activities. This
increased investment will help to stamp out criminal activity by boosting enforcement
capacity, and help local trading standards tackle underage sales at a local level.
Of this funding, over £100 million over five years will support HM Revenue and Custom’s
and Border Force’s new illicit tobacco strategy. As is the case with existing age
of sale legislation, breaches of the new law will primarily be dealt with by local
authority trading standards, rather than by local police forces.</p>
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