It's been encouraging this week to hear health experts speaking out about the need to ban disposable vapes. This is an issue I have raised numerous times at Westminster, and I will keep doing so. I have secured my own debate on the issue, raised it with Ministers asked questions, and sought out others cross party to engage with. Here I am supporting another MP seeking a debate on the issue, which I will again speak in.
This matters because of the significant environmental harm which these products cause. It's not just the huge increase in plastic waste, but the lithium batteries thrown away, and this precious finite resource wasted, or the casue of unexpected fires.
And the huge explosion in use by teenagers of these brightly coloured throwaway vapes whose sweet flavours and snazzy names are absolutely designed to appeal to the younger market is a huge worry. Reports that teenagers are now progressing from disposable vapes to cigarettes are a huge concern, and statistics showing the vast number of teenagers using these disposable vapes are hair raising.
I will keep doing my bit, and I will work with others to get there. The Scottish Government is looking at this, which I am grateful for. Many councils are already taking action and banning them in their areas.
So it is all the more ridiculous and disgraceful that the East Ren Council Labour - propped up by Tory - administration have refused to do so, rejecting out of hand a bid by independent and SNP councillors to take this measure forward. They are well out of step on both environmental and health grounds.
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