Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Derek Byrne, assistant Garda commissioner, Mr. Gerard Moran, assistant secretary in the Office of the Revenue Commission, Mr. Gavin Maguire, assistant national director of the National Tobacco Control Office and their staff. Most of the questions I intended to ask have already been asked but I would ask the following ones. Does increasing the price of tobacco products increase the level of smuggling? The Government has increased prices as have the tobacco companies. Will plain packaging, which will carry health warnings and other labels currently on the packets, increase illicit trade?

It was stated that it is estimated that €240 million is lost in tobacco tax in the illicit trade in Ireland, which is broken into three categories: contraband - a genuine tobacco packet imported without paying tax and duty; a counterfeit product that appears genuine but is a fake; and illicit whites, which are cigarette products only for the black market.

In terms of standardising packages of tobacco, the aim is to reduce the appeal of tobacco and tobacco products, increase the effectiveness of the health warning on tobacco products, reduce the ability of the packaging of tobacco and tobacco products to mislead customers about the harmful effect of smoking in the public interest by providing for the standardisation of the labelling and physical features of the retail packaging of tobacco products and the requirement for the appearance of the cigarettes.

I want to outline a few statistics. Scientists have indicated there are approximately 4,000 different chemicals in cigarette tobacco and more than 70 of these cause cancer. Each year at least 5,200 people die in Ireland from tobacco-related disease. This represents almost one in five of all deaths. According to the Department of Health, 90% of lung cancers are caused by smoking and it has stated that it costs approximately €1 billion per year to provide health services for smokers. Smokers lose an average of between ten to 15 years from their life expectancy by smoking. The average cost of admission to treat a smoker in an inpatient setting for tobacco-related illness is €7,700 in Ireland. It is estimated that the workplace smoking ban introduced in 2004 has led to more than 3,500 deaths being avoided as a result of tobacco consumption. I also realise that the tobacco sector in Ireland accounts for approximately 5,500 jobs and is a major driver of the tax revenue, generating approximately €1.4 billion per year.