Debate contribution: Vaping: Dangers to Children

Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on 22 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Paul Givan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

22 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Vaping: Dangers to Children

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4608576

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Members who tabled the motion and everyone who took part in the debate. Information has been given that I want to take away and have my officials look into, because we need to tackle vaping collectively. I visit many schools and engage with many school leaders and teachers. It is clear that the issue is of significant concern in our schools. Kellie Armstrong outlined from her experience as a school governor how challenging it is, and she spoke about the marketing of vaping products that she sees in her locality. There has been a rise in the popularity of vaping among children and young people. Members rightly made the point that, at one point, vaping was talked about as a substitute for smoking cigarettes and a way to get people off them. It is now proving to be a gateway and is drawing more people into taking a harmful substance. We need to be careful about speaking of vaping as a positive substitute, given the evidence that we have of its impact. There are challenges in seeking to restrict the use of vapes, addressing challenging behaviours and educating young people about the harmful risks of vaping. As I said, for many young people, vaping acts as a gateway to using dangerous substances, so we need to ensure that our schools are smoke-free and vape-free. There is no doubt about the growing challenge. As of 2022, more than a fifth of 11-to-16 year-olds in Northern Ireland reported having used an e-cigarette; nearly a quarter of year 12 children reported that they currently vaped; and the proportion of 11-to-16 year-olds who regularly vaped had doubled from 2019 to 2022. Young people often explain their reasons for vaping as peer pressure; social image; the perceived lower health risks of vapes compared with cigarettes; to support their mental health and reduce stress levels; and to address low self-esteem. Those are some of the misplaced reasons why young people have been vaping. We need to prevent young people from starting to vape in the first place. It is an important matter of public health, and, in certain circumstances, it can be a criminal justice issue. Therefore, my Department will work closely with the Department of Health, the Public Health Agency and, if necessary, the Department of Justice and the PSNI, following appropriate guidance and regulations. The Public Health Agency has worked with key partners to produce up-to-date resources to raise awareness and support discussion with young people on vaping. That included writing to schools in March of this year to provide factual information and advice to inform young people, teachers, parents, carers and others working with young people about vaping, the law and the associated risks. It is important that we first educate our children and young people on the risks of such activity and equip them to make positive choices. As part of the curriculum, pupils at primary level are taught about the importance of making good choices and being aware of the effects of drugs and alcohol on their health and the health of others. At post-primary level, pupils explore the concept of health as the development of a whole person, and they investigate the effects on the body of legal and illegal substances and the risks and consequences of their misuse. Schools also have the flexibility to work directly with external organisations, such as the PHA and the PSNI, to provide learning opportunities in the delivery of those important aspects of the curriculum. Furthermore, all schools are required to have a drugs policy in place. The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has published drugs guidance for schools in Northern Ireland. As a Department, we will continue to address those issues as part of the statutory curriculum. We also have a duty to safeguard our pupils from harm. A school's safeguarding and child protection policy should link to its drug policy and include the requirement to notify the police in relation to an incident relating to illegal substances. The Department's Safer Schools Northern Ireland app provides guidance and support for teachers, pupils, parents and carers on a range of safeguarding issues, including vaping. We also need to promote positive behaviour in our schools, so there is a statutory duty on schools to have relevant policies that set out the behaviour requirements of pupils. Most schools will set out the sanctions that they would impose regarding vaping in school through their behaviour policy. However, it is important that we always give young people the opportunity to learn from mistakes and then to develop as individuals. The Department's guidance, 'Pastoral Care in Schools: Promoting Positive Behaviour', sets out how a school should develop a discipline and positive behaviour policy using a whole-school approach, including consultation with pupils and parents. I turn now to focus on the particulars of the motion. The alarming rise of vaping amongst children and young people is a concern that we all share. It is an issue that goes beyond the school gates, reflects wider societal issues that education cannot resolve on its own and impacts on the health and educational outcomes of our young people. It is therefore a matter that requires a collective effort. First and foremost, we must acknowledge the undeniable evidence that vaping poses a serious risk to a child's health. What might be marketed as a safer alternative is, in reality, introducing harmful chemicals into young bodies that are still developing. We are witnessing the impact of the trend unfolding in our classrooms, hallways and the school grounds, where more and more children are being drawn into this harmful behaviour. It is not only detrimental to their physical well-being; it distracts them from their studies and affects their concentration, attendance, participation in school life and, ultimately, impacts on their educational outcomes. Teachers and school staff play a critical role in this effort. They are on the front line, seeing, at first hand, the detrimental impact that vaping has in our schools, but they cannot tackle the issue alone. It is essential that we provide them with the support and resources that they need to raise awareness and inform our children effectively. We need a comprehensive and collective approach to addressing vaping in schools. As set out, it is important that we educate our young people on the risks of vaping and equip them to make good choices, safeguard our young people and improve their emotional health and well-being and have clear policies and procedures in place to promote positive behaviours in our schools. We also need to consider the wider context. In October 2023 — last year — the UK Government announced their intention to create a smoke-free generation in England by stopping children born on or after 1 January 2009 ever legally being sold cigarettes. The key proposals in relation to e-cigarettes, which are more commonly known as "vapes", included restricting flavours, plain packaging and bans on point-of-sale displays.

Similar measures are already in place in relation to tobacco products.

I am aware that there was a significant amount of work by officials in the Department of Health to secure a legislative consent motion in respect of Northern Ireland's inclusion in the 2024 Tobacco and Vapes Bill. However, the Bill fell on the dissolution of Parliament, following the calling of the general election earlier this year. The King's Speech outlined the need for a new Bill on the matter to introduce progressive smoking bans. My officials will continue to work with the Department of Health and PHA colleagues, as they progress work to stop a new generation from becoming addicted to nicotine or other substances. I believe that the majority of people in Northern Ireland and the majority of colleagues here, in the Chamber, are in agreement that we must do everything that we can to protect young people from the harmful effects of vaping. In closing, I echo some of the key public health messaging on the issue: vaping is not for children or young people; vaping is not harmless; the best thing that you can do for your health is to be smoke-free and vape-free. That is messaging that we must aim to work together to support and reinforce, collectively, if we are to protect the health of our children and our young people. Thank you, again, to Sinn Féin for tabling the motion and to all colleagues in the Assembly who spoke to it.

1,413 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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