Ms Niamh Kelly:

I will try not to repeat what has been said. In response to Deputy Sandra McLellan who asked if we were supportive of the tobacco products directive, we are.

Banning flavoured cigarettes is a significant measure in terms of stopping young people smoking. They are very appealing to teenagers. We were disappointed that the warning size was reduced to 65%. We would have liked to have seen the maximum warning size adopted.

Mr. Macey has already touched on the age profile. A total of 50% first-time smokers are under 15 years of age and 78% are under 18 so it highlights the fact that this is a child protection measure. Branding has been stopped in public places and advertising has been stopped but a packet of cigarettes at home where there are young people and where their parents smoke is a key branding tool for the industry.

Deputy Healy spoke about the numbers in Australia, which was touched upon earlier in terms of the quitline number being on the packs. We would fully support the quitline being included on the packaging. There has been a 78% increase in calls to the quitline in Australia so it demonstrates that this is a measure that will, hopefully, stop existing smokers smoking.

I will address the questions from Deputy McLellan and Senator Burke regarding the risk of smoking, getting the message across and branding. Branding is aspirational. It sells something that somebody wants to be and it is really important that tobacco packaging demonstrates that the only things you are aspiring to if you use this product are ill health and death. It has to send the message that if you smoke, you have a 50% chance of dying. At the moment, allowing the tobacco industry to use coloured packaging in the same way as every other product says "try me" and "buy me" to young people. It needs to be treated like the individual unique product it is and the packaging needs to be unique.

Senator Burke asked about the financial implications of smoking. The personal financial implications are a strong message to put forward. Ms Cosgrove outlined in our opening statement the cost of smoking. People with asthma miss 12 days of work and ten days of school each year. One can add to that people with other respiratory problems. These are not just smokers. Passive smoking is a huge issue for people with asthma and other respiratory diseases. One of our patient advocates spoke recently about needing emergency care after being at a hurling match where someone was smoking. Even in outdoor areas, someone smoking nearby can stop you going to work, which has an add-on effect for the State. More worryingly, one in five children in the State has asthma and 22% of adults smoke. Therefore, the children of smokers are in the home and in the car with people with smoking. This all adds up to a huge burden on the State in respect of health care so the financial implications are not just personal. There are implications for the State. A recent Philip Morris report stated that the loss in revenue from standardised packaging would be €125 million. When one compares that with the cost of treating smoking-related illness, which is estimated to be about €4 billion each year, it is minuscule.

Senator Burke also asked about how we can further reduce smoking prevalence. The measures contained in the Tobacco Free Ireland policy document are very ambitious and will go a long way but it is imperative they be implemented as speedily as possible. Measures like banning smoking at bus stops, around schools and in public places can help. Deputy Healy asked us to confirm that we are absolutely satisfied that this Bill will reduce smoking prevalence. I can confirm that the Asthma Society of Ireland fully supports this Bill and believes it will go a long way towards reducing smoking prevalence in this country.