To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the legislation and accompanying regulations that set the minimum age limit for the purchase of electronic cigarettes in Northern Ireland; and (ii) the dates on which they came into force.

The Department included provisions in the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 to introduce powers to prohibit the sale of nicotine products, including electronic cigarettes, to under eighteens. This includes prohibiting adults from purchasing these products on behalf of children, known as proxy purchasing. The Act received Royal Assent on 12 May 2016.

Draft regulations were consulted on in 2017 but were unable to be progressed in the absence of an Executive and Assembly. Since the return of the Assembly in 2020, my Department has been dealing with a considerable number of issues relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has had significant staffing implications, both for my Department and for the NICS legal resource which is required for clearance of the draft regulations. It is my intention to progress these regulations at the earliest opportunity.