Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

I wish to share time with Deputy Catherine Murphy.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2013. This is an important issue, bigger than the views of any individual Deputy. Smoking is remarkably harmful to the individual and society. We must ensure we establish a culture that reduces the number of people who smoke, especially younger people. These people create considerable health difficulties for themselves and others.

The necessity for the Bill arises from the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union on minimum retail pricing of cigarettes. The court maintained that European law had been infringed. That may well be the case and the legislation before us arises from that, but we must ensure that we continue and extend campaigns to stop smoking in the country. We must ensure that the price of tobacco products, including cigarettes, remains high, because price is a key factor in discouraging smoking. We must ensure there is no below-cost selling of tobacco or tobacco products and that there are no so-called special offers. We must ensure that we maintain the prohibition on advertising and on displays in retail premises.

All of the organisations involved in this area agree that there should be a three-pronged approach. There should be price increases for tobacco products, there should be a comprehensive smoking cessation programme, and there should be stronger smuggling controls.

Earlier, I noted that smoking is remarkably harmful for the individual and society. The facts are there for everyone to see. There might be a question about whether there are 5,000, 6,000 or 7,000 deaths, but there are a significant number of deaths, at least 5,000, each year. Some agencies put the figure as high as 7,000 deaths annually arising from smoking. The HSE has said that there are 360,000 admissions to Irish hospitals every year as a result of smoking and has reported a cost of approximately €280 million to the Exchequer as a result. The figures of ASH Ireland are significantly higher: it referred to 7,000 deaths per year and a cost of €1 billion.

Irish cigarettes prices are currently the most expensive in Europe and they should stay as such. Price has a significant effect on consumption and it definitely reduces smoking. Some surveys show that a 10% increase in price will decrease smoking by between 5% and 7% on average. The World Health Organization has already been referred to. It has concluded that "Increasing the price of tobacco through higher taxes is the single most effective way to encourage tobacco users to quit and prevent children from starting to smoke." Prices are a significant factor in ensuring a reduction in smoking and they should be kept high. We should ensure there is no below-cost selling and no way in which tobacco companies and the industry can get around very high tobacco and cigarette prices. I support the call from ASH Ireland for a 50 cent environmental levy on the tobacco industry for each packet of 20 cigarettes sold.

The facts relating to smoking are horrendous. Significant initial headway was made with the ban on smoking in public places in 2004 but, unfortunately, it appears that despite this initial headway the rate of smoking is now at pre-2004 levels. There is a particular concern about the percentage of young women and less well-off people who are smoking.

Tobacco is the single largest cause of preventable death and disease in Ireland, killing half of all lifetime users. Approximately 30% of people in Ireland smoke and 16 people per day die as a result. Up to 79% of smokers wish to quit, but it is difficult to do so. Smoking causes one third of all cancers and nine out of ten lung cancers. Clearly, this is remarkably harmful to the individual and to society in general as well.

It has been stated that the cost to the State of smoking is approximately €1 billion. There would be a great cost advantage to the State in ensuring that there is a proper comprehensive campaign to turn this around. This has been done to a large extent in the area of road traffic accidents by the Road Safety Authority and there is no reason it should not be possible in this area as well. I welcome the provision whereby graphic images will be on cigarette packets in future.

I believe that certain actions are necessary, as do organisations such as ASH Ireland, the Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Heart Foundation. I support the ban on smoking in cars transporting children and a complete ban on smoking in playgrounds and recreation areas used by children.

We must ensure a comprehensive programme is put in place and operated to tackle this issue. It has been done in other areas, which shows that it is possible to do it.

Smuggling and the black market have also been mentioned. Cross-Border traffic and illegal importation account for in the region of 20% of the overall market. It is an issue which must be tackled by way of addressing weak customs controls, slow judicial processes, low penalties and lack of communication with neighbouring jurisdictions. It is an urgent matter and I hope that as a result of the debate on the Bill, the issues of increased prices, a comprehensive campaign and smuggling and the black market will all be addressed.

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