Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

On the price of tobacco, the Labour Party will support the measure on the basis that it will act as a deterrent. However, in an effort to curb tobacco consumption, we should encourage people to use substitute products and allow those products to be free of VAT. Products such as Nicorette should be delisted — as currently they can only be sold in pharmacies — and allowed to be sold in supermarkets and to a wider range of people. I called for such a measure in the previous budget. I suspect one of the things at play here is that the Irish Pharmaceutical Union is firmly in control of that issue. I take the measure at face value if it is a question of equity but it should be considered in a wider context if it is considered as a health measure.

If I were an average Fianna Fáil voter, a male, who liked to back a horse, maybe enjoyed a glass of wine——

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