James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and members for their contributions. I appreciate the support of Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin who I know, like me, is not anti-smoker but anti-smoking and anti-tobacco. We will do everything we can to help smokers to quit the habit. As I said elsewhere, the industry seeks to replace the small number who give up smoking and the very large number who, sadly, will die. There is no question but that price, as Deputy Seamus Healy said, has an impact. A sudden hike in price would be much more effective than the gradual hikes we have witnessed to date.

Let me repeat that I like the idea of a cigarette costing €1 so that every time people think of lighting up, they will think long and hard before they inhale long and hard. I know this would lead to a greater increase in attempted smuggling and the illicit trade but that is an issue of enforcement. If one is to follow the logic of diminishing returns, this is an area where we want to reach the point of diminishing returns. We want to aim for a tobacco-free society in Ireland by 2020.

The issue of retailers being supported by an agency that will lobby on their behalf is open to further investigation. When I was before the environment, public health and food safety, ENVI, committee in Europe about the priorities for our Presidency we had a major protest outside the Parliament by tobacconists from across Europe. Although small in number they were well organised. The reality is that the health of our children and the nation are at stake. If everybody stopped smoking and everybody had a BMI of under 30, we could close half of our hospital beds.

Deputy Fitzpatrick referred to the Minister's right to control. The Chairman mentioned promotional material. The promotion of cigarettes is not allowed. In shops cigarettes must be housed behind the counter in a closed container. The EU directive is very important to us and I was very pleased that following a campaign that I started with other Ministers to write to the Commission to ensure the directive was brought forward, it was one of the first things that the new Commissioner Tonio Borg did. He was committed to it as well. It will allow us progress this. I made it very clear that I want to examine the possibility of bringing in, as quickly as we can, plain packaging. I know this will be met by huge resistance from the tobacco industry. They have done it in Australia and they have gone through all the courts and now they still have one last throw of the dice at the World Trade Organisation. There is no doubt this is a powerful industry but we have a greater power, the power to protect our children and to protect future generations from a scourge. This scourge is robbing our country of 5,200 citizens every year, causing tremendous hardship, ill health and poor quality of life for so many more. I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure this industry is incapacitated from incapacitating more of our children.

We have a problem with the number of requests that come in under freedom of information, hundreds of thousands of postcards and a significant level of inquiries at EU level from the tobacco industry to delay and obfuscate on this legislation. We will not shirk our responsibilities. We will not be deflected from the goal we have set ourselves. We will do everything in our power with the co-operation of this committee and I thank each and every one of the committee and all the members who support what we are trying to do in the interest of the common good.