Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the gentlemen for appearing before the committee. I would appreciate a "Yes" or "No" answer to the following question. Do the witnesses agree that their products kill half their intended users? I ask each company how much it spends annually in Ireland promoting its products to retailers? Is not tobacco an enormously profitable global business which preys on the misery and illness it causes? How much profit did each company make globally last year? What profits did each company make in Ireland? All the companies have mentioned education and the fact that the Government provides information on the dangers of cigarette smoking in school. I ask specifically how much each company has contributed to schools or to health to ensure the public is educated to the dangers of cigarettes? The tobacco industry has threatened to sue the Irish Government if it implements plain packaging. The Minister for Health has rightly said that he will not be intimidated by this sort of bullying approach.