Earl Russell (LD)

I am grateful for the noble Lord’s intervention. My first amendment would introduce a greater price point for entry into the market, but my second amendment is about banning little, plastic, pre-filled pods that have to go into supposedly reusable vapes and for which the manufacturers charge a premium. I would get rid of that, so that people could use a bottle to refill the vape. You would have a slightly more expensive base unit, but the daily running of that unit would be cheaper. Therefore, the savings generate over time. That is the fundamental proposition that I am putting forward. The noble Lord makes a valid point about advertising. The better option is not to use the word “advertising” but to use the phrase “health education”. There is not enough knowledge about these products, and it would be good if people had better options to choose from. I will also comment, very briefly, on the other amendments, which I forgot to discuss earlier. I have sympathy for Amendment 17A and for Amendment 18, which is in the names of noble Lord, Lord Moylan, and the noble Baroness, Lady Fox. These are important issues for people who are in mental health institutions or other institutions, where they are not free fully to leave or to get access to vaping products. It would be a mistake to restrict their ability to access those products.