Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is a resolution of this sort virtually every year. As budgets I myself was involved in framing included them, it would be odd if I did not support them. One of the most successful health measures we have taken is against tobacco, in tackling its distribution, sale and visibility, and this has had an enormously positive health effect on our people. The fact that the number of smokers is down to 18% of the population is an extraordinarily positive achievement, but we should obviously strive to go further.

Pricing is clearly a real consideration. People will have to make a real choice about spending the amount of money it now costs to feed an addiction. We need to give a positive incentive to people to quit. The corollary of high prices is continuing a proactive, supportive campaign for smokers because it is an addiction, which means it is difficult for them to quit. Some would argue the addiction is stronger than the addiction to heroin. We must ensure if we are to price people out of the ability to buy cigarettes, we must give them the supports to be able to get off the addiction.

In many estates around our country, people sell imported cigarettes that are not taxed in this jurisdiction. I am much more concerned, however, about the composition of those cigarettes, which might not be purely of a nature that would be bad for one's health. Rather, they might be extraordinarily bad for one's health, given some of the products that are included in these counterfeit cigarettes. I ask the Minister to give us assurance about the supports to combat smuggling that should accompany this measure. If we are to have high prices that will increase, which we have, we must ensure we do not facilitate in any way the smuggling of cigarettes and the provision of counterfeit cigarettes in our estates and on our streets. That means devoting some of the money we accrue from this tax to combatting smuggling and ensuring our customs officials are equipped to do that.

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