Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ms Tatlow-Golden said that threats were made. Ireland started the charge. We might have been the second country to introduce this but we were the first country to come up with the concept. Australia implemented it more quickly than Ireland did. The tobacco companies spent almost $500 million in their fight against plain packaging, which was a concept started by Ireland. Even more amusing, the industry has dropped the fight and is no longer pursuing it. Plain packaging is coming in shortly. It goes to show that sometimes a brave step is required.