Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

I am delighted to speak for a few minutes on this significant Bill. Following the groundbreaking legislation introduced in March 2004 to ban smoking in the workplace and elsewhere this is a welcome step forward.

We have heard the main provisions of the Bill - no advertising for, and no display of, tobacco products permitted in retail premises. All tobacco products must be out of view and stored within a closed container accessible only by the retailer. Vending machines will be permitted only in licensed premises.

I loathe smoking and what it does to people. We have all seen at first hand people who have suffered from lung cancer and heart disease through smoking. In Ireland 1,600 people die each year from smoking, 7,000 die from smoking-related illnesses in a year, and there are 1 million smokers, half of whom will die of smoking-related diseases. This is a very welcome Bill. While we may have concerns about the penalties and their implementation I hope the Minister will review the legislation after a year in practice and examine them to see how they are working and address any shortcomings.

We all know how powerful the smoking lobby is. Its tentacles are everywhere. It tries to suck people in to buy and use its products. When I hitchhiked in New Zealand and south east Asia people offered young travellers free cigarettes so that they could get hooked and the tobacco companies could have new customers for their products. Whether in south east Asia or Carlow, Kilkenny or Dublin we must make sure to protect our young people. This legislation is primarily geared towards young people so as to guarantee that access to something that will have such a damaging effect on their lives in the long term, and perhaps in the short term, is restricted.

It is no longer cool to smoke and take out a packet of Gitanes, Players or other cigarettes. The strong message must go out that we are doing this for the betterment of the health of our young people and to ensure that they are protected from the advertising and strong smoking lobbyists who try to get us to buy these products.

There are concerns about the difficulties of trying to get a prosecution but the primary function of this legislation is to protect health and such considerations. We have all received letters from the Irish Cancer Society and ASH and various Deputies have added the content of those letters to this debate. I have seen at close hand within my family the problems of people who have spent many long years smoking and we must put an end to this, particularly for the next generation. We must ensure that they do not easily gain access to cigarettes. If the action did not affect the inflationary basket at the next budget, I would call on the Minister for Finance to place another few cent on a packet of cigarettes.

We must do all in our power to ensure that progressive legislation is introduced to protect the health of the nation. Everybody in the House has spoken from the heart on this issue and I am glad there is general co-operation and support for this legislation. I would like to conclude by asking the Minister to review the legislation after a year to see if there are any loopholes or if it can be tightened up in future.

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