From the Secretary of State:
The Government considered different ways of further controlling the selling of tobacco products, including positive and negative licensing, and consulted on these options last year. A copy of this consultation document �Consultation on Under-Age Sale of Tobacco�, published on 3 July 2006, is available in the Library.
In line with the proposal in the consultation, the Government intend to introduce a negative licensing system at the first legislative opportunity.
Under this scheme, retailers who repeatedly flout the law on under-age sale of tobacco will be liable to orders prohibiting them from selling tobacco.