RPC opinion: tobacco and vapes packaging, appearance and display
Regulatory Policy Committee's opinion of the quality of the evidence and analysis in the Department of Health and Social Care's options assessments.
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The government has published a consultation seeking views on proposals to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products for 4 measures under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026.
The Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) gave a ‘green’ rating to the earlier stage options assessments for all 4 measures in November 2025. This means that we considered them to be ‘fit for purpose’ based on our scrutiny of the evidence and analysis supporting the case for why regulation is necessary.
The RPC’s related opinion on smoke-free, vape-free and heated tobacco-free places was published earlier this year.
The RPC’s opinion refers to the evidence and analysis presented in each assessment, not the merits of the policy itself.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has informed the RPC that following issue of our opinions last year, the impact assessments have been updated for consistency and to reflect current estimates.
Under the Better Regulation Framework, DHSC is not required to submit the impact assessments that have been published with the consultation to the RPC for further independent scrutiny.