Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The positioning of vending machines is probably more important than the fact they exist. In some cases they are located behind a bar counter. A token is given and down you go. It is kept as a financial transaction separate from the food or drinks that are sold at the till.

We definitely want to curb smoking. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. I am very anti-smoking. However, there are cohorts, such as older people in particular, for whom it is very difficult to break the habit. I have grandparents who smoked. It is very difficult for smokers in their late 80s to give up cigarettes. It might make more sense for vending machines to be positioned away from children and the main thoroughfares of hotels rather than having an outright ban on such machines. They should be situated under a bar counter or somewhere like that. Having a point of sale should not be the main problem; it is more about the location of that point of sale.

Another issue I wish to home in on is the importing of cigarettes. We have won the battle on many fronts but there is an issue in respect of cigarettes being brought into the country. Many people come off a flight or a ferry laden down with bags filled with large boxes of 100 or 200 cigarettes. Is the regulation in that regard a bit soft?