Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The evidence shows that fewer people are smoking tobacco products, in particular cigarettes. There are number of factors at play there, but it is a good thing. Looking at this over a 25 year block, I am guessing that the percentage of people that have stopped smoking is, probably, 25% to 35%. Some people have gone the route of stopping completely and a reasonable percentage have moved to vaping. That has a wider societal effect in regard to public health. There are a number of factors at play here too but, again, let us be honest, that is a good thing. What we do not want to see - I was slightly fooled by this - is people giving up cigarette smoking and replacing it with something else. The narrative out there is that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes. It was stated in the witnesses' opening statements that vaping is not less harmful. Some people will argue that vaping is less harmful. For the person who previously smoked, say, 30 cigarettes per day and for health reasons decided to give them up, is vaping less harmful? Some people have said to me that vaping is less harmful than smoking 30 cigarettes per day.