Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am very concerned as to IBEC's ability to be objective in this whole issue. There are serious concerns here. Mr. Mike Ridgway has been very upfront about his connections with the tobacco industry but IBEC needs to come clean. As Mr. Vincent Jennings is aware, I met him and various other people with the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, on some of the problems about illegal tobacco. I then raised the issue in the House with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan. It is an issue I intend to pursue again because I am open to the idea that we should try to have a Finnish style regime where people can import very few cigarettes. We should try to push the boat out on that issue because it would be a useful way of trying to reduce the imports of tobacco on which tax is not paid in this country.

If any of the witnesses have any further ideas as to how to tackle the illicit trade I would be interested to hear them because it is a serious problem and is undermining certain retailers. I have a concern that if tobacco is being sold - I wish it was not - it should be sold in such a way that the State gets the maximum amount of tax from it because, after all, it is needed to pay for the hospitals which are required to tackle the problems caused by tobacco, among other things.

On the issue of plain packaging if, as Mr. Vincent Jennings said, there is not a decline in tobacco sales in Australia why the big deal about opposing it? It is well worth a try.