11. Question No. 11—HealthHon NICKY WAGNER (National) to the Associate Minister of HealthQuestion No. 11—Health11. Hon NICKY WAGNER (National) to the Associate Minister of Health: Has she introduced the legislation regulating vaping that she promised last year; if not why not?Hon JENNY SALESA (Associate Minister of Health): Not yet. It is important that we get this legislation right so that we can have a futureproof framework ready to present to Parliament. The Government is working towards introducing a bill to the House soon this parliamentary term and this remains our goal. Seeing this legislation introduced is a priority for me.Hon Nicky Wagner: Why has she not fast tracked vaping regulation legislation when 5000 or more New Zealanders die every year from smoke-related diseases?Hon JENNY SALESA: Our Government is making sure that we are working to ensure that this legislation gets introduced to the House. What I can say is that the Government wants to ensure vaping is available for smokers who choose to use it as a quit tool while at the same time ensuring that vaping is not available to our young people and our children or that it is not marketed or sold to them. Seeing this legislation introduced to the House is a priority for me. That is one of the reasons why we said we will definitely introduce it. I note that the previous Government had nine long years to deal with this issue and produced precisely nothing to address vaping.Hon Nicky Wagner: Why has she not delivered vaping legislation when parents and principals have expressed significant concerns about young people vaping?Hon JENNY SALESA: Seeing this legislation introduced is an absolute priority for this Government. I acknowledge the concerns that are raised by health professionals by teachers by parents and by principals about our young people who are taking up vaping. I share their concerns. The Government is working towards introducing this bill very soon. I look forward to all of those who are interested in vaping regulations in this country to have their say at the select committee as soon as we introduce the bill.Hon Nicky Wagner: Why has she not delivered the vaping legislation she promised when the ministry had begun drafting that legislation for the previous National Government back in 2017?Hon JENNY SALESA: I am informed by the Ministry of Health that they had done some consultation. However the last Government hadn't gone through and instructed the Parliamentary Counsel Office to draft this legislation. The previous National Government after nine long years had not actually done enough to address vaping. That is why we're here having not addressed this issue.Hon Nicky Wagner: Will she join with me in providing an early Christmas present to New Zealanders struggling to quit smoking by supporting my member's bill to be read a first time enabling her Government to finally deliver their promise to introduce vaping legislation in 2019?Hon JENNY SALESA: The reason this Government is developing its own legislation is because the previous Government did not. I am advised that the member's bill that the member is talking about had a number of deficiencies and would not have come close to striking a reasonable balance between making vaping available to smokers who choose to quit smoking as a quit tool as well as ensuring that our young people do not have access to vaping and vaping products. Hon Member: A do-nothing Minister.Hon JENNY SALESA: No it is not a do-nothing Government. We are introducing this bill very soon.Hon Nicky Wagner: I seek leave for the Smoke-free Environments (Regulation of E-Cigarettes) Amendment Bill a member's bill in my name to be introduced and set down for first reading next members' day.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that process? There is.