Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. From the outset, I will say that Sinn Féin is broadly supportive of this legislation, which will bring about the regulation of e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping. However, it is a pity we are only doing this now. It has been an issue for quite a while. The regulation of vaping has been necessary for some time and this modernisation is very welcome.

I am very well aware that e-cigarettes and vaping have helped many people to quit smoking. That is obviously very welcome but, in any discussion or debate on e-cigarettes and vaping, we must note that we are in the early days of the use of these products and that we do not know or have evidence of any of the possible long-term negative impacts on people's health. We know that people who vape can end up with lung-related illnesses. We cannot turn a blind eye to that just because the short-term effects we know of may potentially be less harmful than smoking actual cigarettes.

These issues are even more acute in respect of young people, essentially children, who are vaping. These cannot be people who are giving up smoking because they are only young people and it is illegal for them to buy cigarettes and yet they are managing to take up vaping. The crux of the issue we need to address is the safety of children and protecting children from vaping. We must also regulate advertising and marketing and those flavours that are targeted specifically at children. If I had my way, those things would taste like actual cigarettes because that would turn people off. If they taste like vanilla, that very much encourages young people, which is a grave danger.

I will briefly mention one other point on the sale of cigarettes and some work that might need to be done in this area more broadly. I raise the issue of the price points for larger boxes of cigarettes. These price points are set by the tobacco companies themselves. These boxes are sold more cheaply than normal packs of 20. Research from the University of Bristol and the University of Cambridge shows that people smoke more when smoking cigarettes from a larger packet. Many shops and newsagents believe the sale of larger boxes of cigarettes, as opposed to 20-packs, constitutes promotional pricing and is distorting demand for cigarettes upwards, which is not a good thing. With that in mind, perhaps the Minister of State could look at the unit price per cigarette or at the price of larger boxes of cigarettes being based on the price of a 20-pack to ensure promotional pricing is eliminated and the risk of people smoking more because of this practice is reduced. I look forward to engaging with her on that issue.

I was recently very shocked to see the number of vapes on the ground after an event where there were a large number of five- to 12-year-olds. It is not just about the mess. It is about kids coming to nicotine addiction at an earlier age, which is very frightening. As I have said, we are broadly supportive of this legislation. It is a very welcome and timely debate.

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