Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a reformed smoker, I probably should comment on this resolution. Smoking has been proven beyond doubt to be bad for people's health. The evidence has been there for a long time. I do not agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that we should go after the producers. There would be no need to produce if there were no consumers. Consumer, unfortunately, become the victims in two ways, for reasons of their own health. I often ask myself why I stopped smoking. I do not know the reason, and I smoked for 27 years. However, in the world in which we live there is far more information and education available to explain the reasons people should not smoke or not smoke in families or in front of children. I support the resolution. It is important that we are constant and that we have a single, consistent voice to indicate to all and sundry that smoking is not good for our health, we should not practice it and we should try our best to stop it.

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