Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill and I commend Senator Crown, who is present this evening, as well as Senators Daly and van Turnhout on originally introducing this Bill in the Seanad. On Report Stage, this Bill was amended substantially by the Minister, Deputy Reilly. The Department of Health worked in consultation with the Senators, the Office of the Attorney General, the Departments of Justice and Equality and Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Garda Síochána in producing this legislation. I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Reilly, on his Trojan work on this issue, about which he is passionate. He is committed to addressing smoking and smoking-related disease and deaths in this country. This Bill is another significant development in our public health policy, which aims to make Ireland a tobacco-free society by 2025. This legislation is one of the many recommendations set out in the policy, Tobacco Free Ireland, which includes a range of legislative and other policy initiatives designed to reduce smoking and smoking-related illnesses. Approximately 22% of the Irish population are currently smokers and the Government is committed to reducing this figures to 5% by 2025. This Bill builds on the smoking ban, which was introduced in March 2004. It was hugely successful and there has been a 7% reduction in the number of smokers since it was introduced.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in Ireland. The number of premature deaths caused by tobacco use in Ireland is far greater than the combined death toll relating to car accidents, fires, heroin and cocain abuse, murders and suicide. I was interested to hear Deputy Finian McGrath state earlier that there are greater health risks. I do not know what they are when approximately 5,200 Irish people die each year from diseases caused by smoking and 44% of such deaths are from cancer. Members should just imagine that one in two smokers will die from their addiction. Smoking costs the health sector in excess of €650 million per year. What could be done with that money, were it available to be put back into the health services in the fields I have just mentioned? These figures are frightening when one thinks how avoidable are these smoking-related deaths. I am deeply concerned that Ireland's smokers start smoking at a young age. They have the youngest starting age in Europe, as they start from between 14 and 16 years of age. Members' goal, therefore, must be to prevent children and young people from starting to smoke. They learn from us, their parents and adults to whom they look up and we must lead by example.

Passive smoking can be just as damaging to one's health as smoking. This is why I am so supportive of this Bill. It is about protecting children and safeguarding their health. This Bill will create a new offence of smoking in a vehicle in a public place in which a child is present. Basically, it will be against the law to endanger children's health by smoking in cars. An Garda Síochána will be responsible for enforcement and can impose a fixed-charge notice or fine. I agree this legislation will be "self-policing" in many cases and that members of the public will abide by this new law and indeed will encourage others to so do also. Most parents are sensible and prioritise and protect their children's health. However, there are some who continue to put their own addiction ahead of the health of their children and that is why this legislation is necessary. An increasing number of countries, including Canada, Australia and, most recently, England, have either banned or are in the process of banning smoking in cars with children. A clear message must be sent out on this issue. Members are not trying to be heavy-handed but are merely trying to alert people to the very real dangers of smoking and passive smoking.

I also take this opportunity to welcome the standardised packaging of tobacco legislation, which was debated in this Chamber last week. The passing of that Bill will see Ireland become the first country in the European Union to introduce legislation on plain packaging and the third country worldwide after Australia and New Zealand.

I was pleased to hear the Minister, Deputy Reilly, welcome the announcement by the French Minister for Health last week that France plans to follow Ireland and introduce standardised packaging for cigarettes. This is a positive move and we should be proud that we are leading other countries in protecting people, especially the young and the old, from the dangers of smoking through the introduction of standardised packaging. Research by the Irish Heart Foundation and Irish Cancer Society has shown that the visibility of graphic warnings on plain packs would encourage teenage smokers to quit smoking.

Sadly, when it comes to smoking, especially for young people, it is all about image. According to the Irish Cancer Society, eight in ten smokers begin smoking before they turn 18 years of age. The tobacco industry sees packaging as its key marketing tool, which is why it is very important to introduce plain packaging and put an end to the so-called glamourisation associated with smoking, especially for young people who believe it is cool to smoke. Plain packaging has been shown to reduce the appeal of tobacco to young people and to increase negative feelings towards tobacco.

Together, both these items of legislation will go a long way towards helping Ireland to become a tobacco free society, and I commend this Bill to the House. I say to parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to put their children first and not their addiction. That is the message that should go out from this debate.

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