ASH Scotland calls for greater resources for Trading Standards enforcement and improvements to vape retailers register

In the aftermath of the fire which engulfed a corner of Union Street in Glasgow city centre, health charity ASH Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to provide greater resources to local council trading standards teams to enforce vaping regulations and make improvements to the national vape retailers’ register.

The Glasgow fire illuminated the risks of damaged lithium batteries in a way that exploding bin lorries and fires in waste processing plants have not, with many residents and businesses near to vape shops now expressing fears about their health and safety.

As the UK is not among the 46 countries which have banned e-cigarettes, the charity is spotlighting the tough challenges in regulating the addictive and health-harming products. 

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “Vapes are commercial, recreational products marketed for profit and are used by far more children than adults. They have contributed to a rise in overall nicotine use, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) have not been proven to deliver a net benefit for public health. 

“ASH Scotland has long held concerns about Scotland’s Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers not being able to keep up with the increasing number of shops selling vapes on high streets and in communities and lacking powers to deal with offences. 

“The Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland has warned that staffing cuts to local council trading standards teams, from 512 in 2002 down to 250 in 2025, threaten the viability of services and risk leaving consumers unprotected and businesses unsupported. 

“Trading standards teams are evidently not receiving sufficient funding to operate effectively and it’s not clear how much budget they will be allocated when a bunch of new regulations are introduced following the imminent passing of the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill and its subsequent public consultations. 

“The Scottish Government should also now take the opportunity to make Scotland’s Register ‘conditional’. This significant change would better support enforcement, increase data collection and intelligence, improve sanctions for repeated non-compliance, and could generate a revenue stream to help offset administration costs.  

“Scotland must seize this moment to ensure trading standards teams are sufficiently funded as a matter of urgency and improve the Register to provide reassurance to the public that vape regulations can be thoroughly enforced.” 

Marissa Smith, Research Associate within the School of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow and ASH Scotland Board Member said: “Scotland already has a national register for vape and tobacco retailers, which is an important advantage compared with the rest of the UK. But as ASH Scotland has highlighted, a register on its own is not enough.

“Without proper investment to keep it accurate, actively maintained, and connected to enforcement, it cannot support Trading Standard’s teams to ensure that retailers are meeting their legal responsibilities. Strengthening and resourcing the Register is essential if it is to play the role it was designed for.”