James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The relevant matter here is that tobacco is a killer.

The tobacco industry is an industry that promotes its product. It must replace 5,200 Irish people and 700,000 Europeans every year with new clients and those clients are children. A total of 78% of smokers surveyed in this country said they started smoking when they were under the age of 18 and several surveys done across the EU have shown more than 70% in all instances had started smoking under the age of 18. The industry is targeting the most vulnerable in society. Far from being a nanny state, we have a duty of care to minors. One could ask what choice one has once one turns 18 if one is already addicted. One's choice is gone.

I take the area of tobacco control extremely seriously and I know I will have Government backing when I go to Cabinet with a memo on plain packaging for cigarette products in this country. We will be the first country in Europe and the first one in the world after Australia to do that. Australia has faced challenge after challenge, by every conceivable mechanism, including the courts and the World Trade Organization, among others. We will support Australia in every way we can to resist the challenges. I assure Senators Crown, van Turnhout and Daly that we will follow the lead of Australia and go further. I will support their Bill. We are progressing legislation to ban smoking in cars where children are present.

On the issues raised by Senator van Turnhout, Dr. Carroll will deal with strokes and neuro-rehabilitation, the Minister of State, Deputy White, will deal with medical cards, while the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, will deal with cochlear implants.