The Government is planning to work with councils to hand out vaping kits in a drive to help people stop smoking.
Health minister Neil O'Brien will today announce £45m of funding for measures to help make England ‘smoke free’ by 2030.
The ‘swap to stop’ scheme will be aimed at almost one if five smokers and will include offering pregnant women up to £400 to stop smoking.
It comes on top of plans to crack down on the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to under-18s after a recent survey found that vaping had increased among 11- to 17-year-olds.
The Department of Health and Social Care says it is trying to balance finding ways to cut underage vaping while at the same time ensuring vapes are available to help adult smokers to quit.
Launch the new scheme health minister Neil O’Brien said: ‘We will offer a million smokers new help to quit. We will be funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world.
‘We will work with councils and others to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit.’
