Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

We are looking forward to that. I have many vices but thankfully smoking is not one of them. I have never smoked and thank goodness for that.

I have a daughter of 18, who is doing the leaving certificate this year, and a son of 17. This morning I asked my daughter the percentage of her class who smoked. Given that 29% of the population are believed to be smokers, it is horrific to note how many young people are smoking. My daughter says 80% of the approximately 60 pupils in the two classes in her year smoke. Eighty per cent is an unbelievable figure.

I believe campaigns work. Approximately 30 years ago, the number of young people smoking dropped significantly because of a campaign at the time. Over the past ten years, similar emphasis is not being placed on anti-smoking campaigns aimed at young people. Although my two younger children do not smoke – the two older ones do – the fact that so many of their friends smoke indicates it has become trendy again. This is a big problem. We must work on it and make smoking untrendy. While Deputy Finian McGrath may question the figures, the harm the tobacco industry is causing is devastating.

The advertising industry is going through a tough time. The State-owned broadcaster is not finding it as easy to obtain advertising revenue as it once did and it is probably having to cut its rates. Therefore, there has probably never been a better time for the Government to obtain advertising slots from RTE, the taxpayers' property, to launch a campaign.

People underestimate the value of sport. I currently train approximately 22 under-18s for the new season, and approximately 18 under-19s. Not one of these 40 players smokes, which is unbelievable. This is because it does not help in sport. Granted this is the higher end of it because it is the Wexford Youths League of Ireland club, but guys who are very serious about their sport will not smoke and we should take advantage of this. By promoting sport we will eat into tobacco use.

In the class of my daughter Gráinne, a total of 80% smokes. She stated most of them do not pay the full price because they cannot afford to do so. The price is draconian for them and rightly so. I agree with the Government collecting as much tax as it does from tobacco. However, the idea of haranguing the girls on Moore Street for selling cigarettes is a waste of time; once illegal cigarettes enter the State they will be sold. If it is possible to seize the cigarettes that is different, but more work must be done on seizure at the point of entry. We must stop the container loads entering the State, whether they roll off ships and we catch some but not all or they arrive on small boats. More work can be done to seize cigarettes at point of entry. I am not so much in favour of chasing the individuals on the streets because once the cigarettes enter the State they will be sold. Somebody will sell them.

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