Freedom of information response

1. The number of individuals who have been prosecuted in the last 12 months within your organisation’s jurisdiction for the sale of nicotine inhaling products (sometimes known as “e-cigarettes”, “vapes”, or “vapour products”) to individuals aged under 18, due to investigations conducted by Thurrock Council.

0

2. The number of businesses and sole traders subject to any penalty in the last 12 months (including but not limited to fine, opening restrictions, removal of premises license) for the sale of nicotine inhaling products (sometimes known as “e-cigarettes”, “vapes”, or “vapour products”) to individuals aged under 18, due to investigations conducted by Thurrock Council.

Fewer than 5.

3. The number of shops, and other places of business (including but not limited to market stalls, ‘car-boot sales’ and other point of sale locations) that council employees have visited in the last 12 months for the purposes of detection and disruption of the sale of nicotine inhaling products to individuals aged under 18.

71

4. The number of trading standard officers employed by the council whose job description, roles and responsibilities, entail the investigation, detection, and disruption of the sale of nicotine inhaling products to individuals aged under 18 and/or the removal of illicit products from retailers.

1 FTE

We are unable to provide an exact number for question 2 above as: 

• There is a low number involved. 

• The release of this information could identify individuals which would constitute their personal data under the Data Protection Act  
• There is no prior expectation on the part of these individuals that their personal information would be published in the wider public domain under the FOI Act 
• Personal data of any other person is exempt under section 40 (2) of the Data Protection Act. 

However, in the interests of transparency we are able to provide this information to you categorised as fewer than 5 to give you an indication of the figures