Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I welcome the passage of the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2010. We need to transmit our message to young people, in particular. I suggest we should consult them through the various bodies that represent them, such as the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Union of Secondary School Students of Ireland. It would be worthwhile to get their views on how we can make inroads into the growing number of young people who are taking up smoking. According to the statistics that were provided by the Minister of State, many of them start to smoke at a very young age, which is very worrying. If I remember correctly, a considerable proportion of those under the age of 13 - perhaps one in six - have taken up smoking. I am not sure of the age in question, but it is a very young age.

See this speech in context