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Newly published research has cast doubt on claims that e-cigarettes attract non-smokers, it has been claimed. 

The Welsh Health Survey asked regular users of vaping devices if they had previously been tobacco users - and almost every single respondent said yes. 

The statistics have led the Liberal Democrats to claim they undermine health minister Mark Drakeford’s argument that e-cigarettes act as a gateway to smoking. 

But the Welsh Government has dismissed those comments. 

'Survey couldn't find a single e-cigarette user'

E-cigarettes are set to be banned in enclosed public spaces and work spaces under the Welsh Government’s Public Health Bill. 

Of the 3,565 people aged 16 and older spoken by the Welsh Health Survey, only 1% of adults said they were e-cigarette users who had never smoked before. 

A further 9% said they had tried e-cigarettes and considered themselves “non-smokers” in the survey, which is published by the Welsh Government. 

Of those who currently use e-cigarettes, not one person said they had never smoked before. 

More: Is there a stealth ban on e-cigarettes in Cardiff?  Here the public places where you already can't use a e-cigarette

Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: “If Labour’s claims that e-cigarettes were a gateway to tobacco were correct, we should be seeing people who have never smoked a cigarette before using e-cigs now. 

“In fact, the opposite is true: Labour’s survey couldn’t find a single e-cigarette user who’s never smoked a cigarette before. 

“Welsh Labour Ministers must be pretty embarrassed that their own report is undermining their own argument for a vaping ban. 

“It’s about time they listened to the evidence, and the thousands of people who have supported the Welsh Lib Dems’ campaign against their proposed ban, and scrapped these illiberal and illogical proposals.” 

'Proposals based on evidence across the world'

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Our proposals are based on evidence from across the world, including peer-reviewed academic research. 

“The BMA, public health professionals and others support our proposals, while the World Health Organisation and other international bodies have called for greater regulation of e-cigarettes.  40 other countries have already taken similar steps. 

“Let’s be absolutely clear, our Bill does not propose to ban e-cigarettes, nor does it intend to prevent their use for smoking cessation. 

More: E-cigarettes 'significantly less harmful' than smoking and can even help people quit, research reveals

“It would restrict the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces, bringing them into line with conventional cigarettes.” 

The Welsh Government cited a study of 700 US teenagers that found evidence of teenagers going on to become smokers having tried e-cigarettes. 

Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, of 14-year-olds in Los Angeles suggested that e-cigarette use is associated with an increased risk of starting smoking.