§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to introduce legislation to ban the import of oral tobacco products; when he intends to introduce such legislation; and if he will make a statement. [158218]
§ Yvette CooperNone. So long as oral tobacco from overseas sources does not fall within a banned category, complies with United Kingdom customs duty regulations and carries health warnings, their import in the UK is not illegal.
However, we wish to ensure that people have information about health risks. We are, therefore, seeking to develop greater awareness of the health risks associated with oral tobacco as part of our tobacco information strategy. We are working on a dedicated campaign, focused on high-risk ethnic minority populations, to address the health risks of smoking and the use of oral 760W tobacco in order to decrease demand for these products. We have funded a training pack for Trading Standards Officers on oral tobacco.