Professor Luke Clancy:

To turn to the last question first, while I do not speak for the generality, my understanding is the Deputy is correct and that smoking during pregnancy is a serious problem in Ireland. It is much worse than in other countries. For instance, we have compared the position in Ireland with that in Boston, Massachusetts, which is approximately the same size and found that the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy here is three times higher. Moreover, there are no proper services for people who smoke. The Deputy is asking for the provision of patches, which are a crutch, as it were. My point is that it is a disgrace that there is not a smoking cessation service available for every pregnant woman in the country. As for patches, the question is whether they are safe. There is a terrible worry about using anything during pregnancy. My off-the-cuff answer is that if one compares it with smoking, there is no comparison. As to whether it is absolutely safe, possibly not, but it is at least 100 times safer than smoking. The Deputy should remember there are other ways to stop smoking and if these women were given these services, they would benefit.