Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will make two very brief points as I understand there are time constraints.
On the education aspect, I take on board what Mr. Ridgway said. We heard from the children's groups we met last week about the importance of peer education, but in anything we are talking about - many delegates have made this point - it is not a case of one measure; we see this as a package of measures. I co-sponsored two Bills in the Seanad on this issue and other areas we need to tackle.
Regarding the illicit trade, I gave the figures for Andorra. Last October the chairman of the UK Parliament's public affairs committee, the Right Honourable Margaret Hodge, stated:

The Department has also failed to challenge properly those UK tobacco manufacturers who turn a blind eye to the avoidance of UK tax by supplying more of their products to European countries than a legitimate market in those countries could possibly require. The tobacco then finds its way back into the UK market without tax being paid. The supply of some brands of hand-rolling tobacco to some countries in 2011 exceeded legitimate demand by 240%.

In the Dáil last November the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, stated: "I have a suspicion that the legitimate trade is involved in the production of illicit cigarettes..." We throw around the word "illicit", but I strongly believe the tobacco companies are fuelling the market.