MPs call for creation of more vape-friendly zones

THE Houses of Parliament should become a vape-friendly zone, as part of efforts to make vaping more acceptable around the workplace, MPs have said.

There should be vaping policies for businesses and public places to help tackle “misunderstandings” about the practice and to ensure it is treated separately to smoking, according to MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping (APPGV). Employers should provide designated indoor vaping areas, the MPs suggest.

They believe employers should also allow vaping in all outside areas unless there is a legitimate safety or professional reason to stop it.

There should also be guidelines for the “reasonable vaping etiquette expected from vapers”.

Similar policies for vaping in public places should also be drawn up, so that it can be done at specific indoor locations, and also in all outdoor areas unless there is a specific safety reason not to allow it.

It was stated that Parliament should lead the way in catering for the needs of vapers in an age when e-cigarettes are often banned in train stations, airports, pubs and restaurants. Vaping is also routinely banned in workplaces, outside hospitals and near public buildings.

Pointing out the false impression among the public that passive vaping is as harmful as passive smoking, APPGV chairman Mark Pawsey said: “Indeed, this lack of understanding was very evident in Parliament itself, a place many will look to for an example. There are only two designated vaping locations, and despite being a member for eight years, I still have no idea where either of these locations are.”