The Government today expressed deep regret and disappointment over the Legislative Council bills committee’s decision to cease work on a bill that would have banned the sale of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products in Hong Kong.

In a statement, the Government said the decision means that the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019 could not be passed in the current-term of LegCo and the Government could not, for public health protection, take early action to prevent e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products from establishing themselves in the city.

The Government emphasised that it has all along spared no effort in explaining to legislators at the bills committee meetings justification for the proposed ban of alternative smoking products (ASPs) and the importance of the amendment bill’s early passage for public health protection.

It also stepped up efforts to publicise the harm of ASPs in the community. Some 270 representatives had expressed their views in the three meetings the bills committee conducted with deputations.

Its proposal has been widely supported and won the public’s recognition as a number of surveys indicated that a vast majority of society backed the amendment bill.

Among others, more than 128,000 signatures from citizens, companies and organisations were collected in a signatory campaign launched by the Hong Kong Council on Smoking & Health in July 2018 in support of enacting a total ban on e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products.

The Government thanked the bills committee chairman's efforts in bringing forward the committee’s deliberation.

"The Government’s work on tobacco control will not end here. We shall put forward the legislative proposal of a full ban of ASPs in the next term of LegCo when the opportunity arises," it added.