Mr. John Prendergast:

I am not saying that. I am sure it is possible. What I am saying is they are being sold across the road out of the boot of a car opposite the corner shop and one can stand in one's door and see the people buying the stuff across the street from the local seller.

My point is that there must be an overall approach. One must catch the smugglers. The Garda must have the proper legislative tools and the proper electronic equipment to establish if something is duty paid or not. One also must make the end-user responsible.

The end-users cannot get a free ride in this. They are buying, knowingly or unknowingly. If one takes the person who is unknowingly buying a non-duty paid product that is very dangerous for him or her, and if he or she has a smartphone app, one has given him or her the tool with which they can establish that this product is what it is. A large percentage of those may stop smoking that product simply because they know what it is or they may stop smoking because they may get caught. Then there will be the hard core who will continue to smoke it. People are put in prison for non-payment of a television licence but there is no penalty for bringing into the country, and smoking, an illegal non-duty paid product.

All this is needed at the ports, with the Garda and the end-users. If one takes that overall approach and one applies it evenly, we believe that one will get a good result out of it and everyone will buy into it. That covers what I have to say and I thank the committee for listening to me.