Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Sinn Féin supports all initiatives to curb the deadly habit of tobacco smoking. Last week's Bill to introduce plain packaging on tobacco products was welcomed by Sinn Féin and we extend that to the Protection of Children's Health (Tobacco Smoke in Mechanically Propelled Vehicles) Bill 2012.

Ireland is playing a pivotal role in the fight against the tobacco industry. We are striving to create a smoke-free environment for future generations and this legislation will help with that. A child should never be forced to inhale the toxic chemicals emitted by cigarettes when in any closed environment, especially one as constricted as that of a vehicle. It is so harmful and dangerous to the developing lungs of all children, to their health and their well-being. It is unacceptable for anyone to place a child in such a position. Every provision must be put in place in order for us to make smoking as unattractive and unappealing as possible.

The tobacco industry costs this State €1 billion every year. The HSE's budget, already strained by the impact of consistent austerity, must allocate this amount to tackle the effects of smoking on the population. Heart disease, cancer, emphysema and other related conditions can be minimised with the introduction of such measures. We can alleviate the budgetary constraints of the HSE with these measures and the resources could be allocated to other areas of our struggling health system.

We live in an age where there is no excuse for anyone not to be aware of the impact of chemical dosed tobacco. Awareness campaigns by the Government and organisations, such as the Irish Cancer Society and ASH Ireland among many others, have helped in this regard. Recently, we saw the advertisement campaign rolled out by anti-smoking organisation, QUIT, featuring terminally ill Gerry Carroll, who has since tragically passed away as a result of smoking. It was a tragic and untimely death that could have been prevented. We saw the impact on his family and friends and I commend their openness and their willingness to highlight their plight. He has saved lives. We must do the same.

One in every two smokers will die from a smoking-related illness. For every person who dies in this manner, the tobacco industry must replace them with a new customer. The Irish Cancer Society estimates that the industry needs 25 young people to start smoking in Ireland every day to replace those who have tragically passed away or who have, thankfully, managed to quit. Some 80% of smokers start smoking in their youth. With a concerted effort through the smoking ban, the ban on branding on packaging and a ban on smoking in cars with children, this can be stopped. We have a duty, as legislators, to do all that we can to protect vulnerable children.

By designing an environment where children grow up to see smoking as undesirable, we can stop them wanting to take up the habit. We can stop the tobacco industry from gaining new customers. This must continue to be a priority for this and any future Government as well as for opposition parties and Independents. We have a duty of care to citizens and must use the power we have to exercise it.

Attitudes are changing. Smokers must go to greater lengths to feed their addiction. They must leave the social atmosphere of the pub and go outside for a cigarette. They cannot easily light up in a hotel room and soon, I hope, they will not be able to casually smoke in a car with a child present. We must remember, however, that smokers are not to be demonised. Addictions across the board must be understood and helped in any way possible. They are targeted by an extremely powerful, savvy, experienced and cash-rich industry.

We are in the midst of placing as many barriers between the current and possible future consumer and that poisonous industry. I commend everyone involved in the creation of this and previous Bills. Education in schools from a young age can be used to highlight the fatal effects of tobacco. Education designed to target mothers, fathers and guardians must show how passive smoking is just as lethal as first hand inhalation.

A 2013 report published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland and the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland shows that while tobacco control measures are being successful, disadvantaged children are at particular risk of tobacco-related harms. According to the report, this is due to their likelihood of exposure in the womb as well as to second-hand smoke in the home and, ultimately, to their own risk of taking up smoking at a young age.

In the most deprived areas in the North of Ireland, mothers were three times more likely to smoke during pregnancy than in the least deprived areas. In this State, nine year old children living in the lowest income families were twice as likely to be exposed to second-hand smoke in the home as children in the highest income families. As of the time of that report, November 2013, approximately one in seven 13 to 14 year olds reported that someone smokes in the car when they are present. The smoking behaviours of parents have a hugely significant impact on the health and development of children on this island.

Smoking in pregnancy was associated with adverse outcomes for newborn babies, including low birth weight. GP attendances for chest and ear infections among infants were higher among mothers who smoked in the first nine months of their child's life. Among older children, both active smoking and second-hand smoke were significant in terms of patterns of childhood asthma.

The report highlighted the importance of continuing current efforts to make tobacco harder to get and less appealing to young people. Investing in disadvantaged areas to give children social and physical outlets that are protected by the local council and that won't succumb to ruin is important. Children in these areas more likely to smoke. Is it because of a lack of amenities? Is it because smoking is something to do to fill time? Is it a habit to pick up to appear cool among their peer group? We have to further examine the causes and factors as to why those living in lower socio-economic areas are worst impacted by this industry and do everything we can to tackle it.

Smoking is not only damaging to people's health but it also has a very negative impact on the environment. From air pollution, to the decimation of 5 million hectares of forest worldwide, the tobacco industry is relentless. Cigarette butts, in the early years of the 2000s was cause for 48% of litter on the streets. The flushing of this litter into harbours, beaches and rivers is detrimental to marine life. Cigarette butts take more than ten years to break down.

We have already begun the process of eliminating branding from packaging, which is essentially the last method of advertising for the tobacco industry in Ireland. The colours, images, words and designs used on cigarette packs are all used to appeal to young people. Certain colours, such as silver and gold, have been proven to appear as though they have lower tar and health risks. Slim, lightly coloured packets are used to attract young women while bolder colours are used for young men. Cigarettes themselves are also used to appeal to young people. In recent years, slim-line cigarettes have been designed to appeal to young women by making cigarettes appear glamorous and elegant. Research has shown that when cigarettes are in plain packaging without branding, most young people find the packets ugly and boring and would prefer to take home a branded pack. Irish teens begin smoking at one of the earliest ages in Europe. We cannot allow this trend to continue.

Sinn Féin welcomes this Bill. We would not like to say anyone unfairly targeted or criminalised as a result of someone forcefully lighting a cigarette in their car but it is very important that we tackle the issue of smoking in every way possible. A child should never be exposed to the dangers of passive smoking and must be given every opportunity to live healthily in a smoke-free environment. In the same way that mobile telephones are now prohibited to be used in cars, smoking can be a distraction to drivers and there is no real benefit to allowing anyone to smoke in a confined place with a child present.

See this speech in context