Written question asked by Shivani Raja (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Diana Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 10 September 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Retail Trade: Crime

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what central resources are being provided to unitary trading standards teams, such as Leicester's, to increase intelligence-led raids on shops suspected of selling illegal vapes or non-compliant nicotine products.

Answer: The Government is investing up to £10 million of new funding per year in Trading Standards until 2028/29, including to the Trading Standards team in Leicester, to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales, and the implementation of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Act. The requested information on the number of non-compliant single-use vapes seized by Trading Standards officers in Leicester over the past twelve months is not held by the Department.

Secondary information