Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was anxious to hear what Deputy Kelleher would have to say. I am attracted to the spirit of the amendment. The Minister can, and I have no doubt will, in his reply respond on the practicalities. We can await the detail of that.

The spirit of the amendment is that rather than allow a period of time, there is an arguable need to impact not only in relation to the industry, but societally in terms of the importance of all of the measures. There is no single measure that will be a panacea for the inordinate costs that we have to bear as a result of the health consequences of tobacco smoking. This is one of a number of measures, some already implemented and other hopefully to follow, that will ultimately lead to a significant reduction in the number of people who smoke and further dissuade people from taking up smoking at an early age.

The little box I hold in my hand has been circulated as an example of what plain packaged cigarettes will look like. It is important for people to recognise and realise that when we talk about plain packaging that it is going to be a white box. It is not a white box, it is a very stark and unattractive product by any standard. Any examination of it will confirm that. What I have in my hand would not be an attractive device in terms of marketing the contents, quite the contrary. For that reason alone it is a further aid to the process we all support, namely, a significant reduction in current smoker numbers and an even greater reduction in the number of young people who take up the habit, so sadly, at a very early age, and with all the difficulties of giving up the habit. I am open to the spirit of what Deputy Kelleher has said and I await the Minister’s response on the practicalities of the proposition.