Member of Parliament for Windsor said after visiting South Korea: E-cigarettes can save lives.
The Member of Parliament for Windsor spoke at an important meeting to defend e-cigarettes as an "effective" way to reduce tobacco use.
Adam Avery spoke at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum held in South Korea in September, describing the UK government's approach to reducing the harm caused by tobacco.
He told the local democratic reporting service: "I am proud of the progress made by the UK in harm reduction. As the former vice-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on e-cigarettes, I am always happy to accept speaking invitations and share our success stories in the UK.
As the independent Kahn Review pointed out, nearly six million people in England still smoke, and smoking remains the largest single cause of preventable disease and death.
My mission is to ensure that legislation is evidence-based and science-driven. E-cigarettes, as one of the most effective ways to quit smoking, have saved lives. I continue to urge all smokers to quit this deadly habit.
The Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) is described on its website as "the leading annual global conference to discuss the future of the tobacco and nicotine industry".
According to the register of financial interests of members of Parliament, Afreyer received £8,384.88 from the GTFN Foundation to cover the cost of airfare, transfers, accommodation, and meals for the trip.
However, Afrey's office added that he did not receive a speaking fee for his speech at the conference, where he talked about the legislative approach of the UK in reducing the harm of tobacco.
This happened during the past decade when the adult smoking rate in the UK has significantly decreased.
The National Statistics Office estimated that 12.9% of adults in the UK were smokers in 2022, a significant decrease from 20.2% in 2011.
In Windsor and Maidenhead, the smoking rate in 2022 was even lower than the national average, at only 8.6%.
The neighboring Slough has a higher smoking rate of 15.2%.
The National Health Service (NHS) Better Health website describes e-cigarettes as "one of the most effective tools to stop smoking".
However, it added that e-cigarettes are "not completely harmless" and only recommended as a tool to quit tobacco smoking.