Ms Kathleen O'Meara:

On the ring-fencing issue, there is a tobacco levy. It was introduced by the former Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, when he was Minister for Health. However, it disappears into the Exchequer. Obviously, we would like to see a budget put aside for quitting services, mass media campaigns and all the pieces that need to be done to reduce the smoking rate even further.

I thank Senator Barrett for his kind remarks. It needs to be said that political leadership makes the difference when it comes to the battle against tobacco. Tobacco is the single biggest cause of cancer and a driver of heart disease and it is a significant cost to the health budget as well, estimated at €2 billion every year. When one looks at the cost of the health budget and the cost of smoking, it clearly makes sense to bring that down.

We believe it is possible to see the end of smoking. Australia is ambitious towards it. Parts of America are ambitious towards it. It can happen. We believe that, in particular, the standardised packaging is a key part of that campaign. At this stage we can look at a future without tobacco.