Ms Averil Power:

I agree with our colleagues in the Irish Heart Foundation that we need to do everything we can to make cigarettes less attractive to young people, and harder to access. In the US, Tobacco 21 law was introduced in various states there and in 2019 reduced smoking in the 18-21 age group by up to a third. There is a small but growing body of evidence particularly from the US but also from elsewhere that suggests that a ban on tobacco sales to those under 21 may prove effective in reducing smoking rates among younger people. We agree on that. We also agree that supply is only half the equation.

The Government can increase the age limit as much as it likes, even up to the age of 30, but children will still get their hands on cigarettes if we do not deal with the demand issue, the marketing and the advertising. We think the Government must do both. That is something both our organisations have closely advocated on and that is a view we share.