Single Use Vapes Ban - Lack of Progress

Summary

The requester asked for the post-consultation report and progress update regarding a ban on single-use vapes, but the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture stated the information is not currently held due to resource constraints.

Key Facts

• The requested 'We asked, You said, We did' report has not been published because the department could not allocate officer time to produce it.
• The department received 538 responses to the public consultation on banning single-use vapes.
• The matter has been reprioritized under the new DEFA Department Plan.
• A report is expected to be produced and published online over the coming months.
• The request was formally closed on 29 September 2025 with an outcome of 'Information not held'.

Data Disclosed

• 538 responses
• 2025-09-09
• 2025-09-29
• 12 weeks
• 4922201

Original Request

Hi, It's been a year since DEFA ran a public consultation about banning single-use vapes. On your consultation website it says, 'All comments received from this consultation will be collated and considered in the subsequent post-consultation 'We asked, You said, We did' report, published on the Consultation Hub within 12 weeks of the consultation closing', however a year later I cannot find this on the online portal. Please can you provide the above. Please can you also provide an update on progress towards a legal ban?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Freedom of Information Co-ordinator Corporate Services Directorate Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St John’s, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no (01624) 685854 Fax no (01624 685851 Email: defa@gov.im www.gov.im

Our ref: 4922201 29 September 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request received 9 September 2025, which states:

It's been a year since DEFA ran a public consultation about banning single-use vapes.

On your consultation website it says, 'All comments received from this consultation will be collated and considered in the subsequent post-consultation 'We asked, You said, We did' report, published on the Consultation Hub within 12 weeks of the consultation closing', however a year later I cannot find this on the online portal.

Please can you provide the above.

Please can you also provide an update on progress towards a legal ban?

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested. This is because it has not been possible to provide the necessary officer time to produce and publish the “We asked, You said, We did” report analysis.

To offer advice and assistance, there was a good response to this consultation, with 538 responses. The Department has recently agreed to reprioritise this matter through its consideration of the new DEFA Department Plan. A report will therefore be produced over the coming months and will be published online when available.

Please quote the reference number 4922201 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will

be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on:

1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or

2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.

In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision.

More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im.

Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.