Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister of State a good afternoon. I join others in wishing him the very best in his role. It is appropriate the Minister of State with responsibility for public health is in the Chamber this afternoon because that is precisely what we are talking about. I welcome the opportunity to make some brief comments on behalf of the Regional Group on this historic occasion. I remember the day the smoking ban came in and I cannot believe that 20 years have already passed. It is important we reflect on our successes. If you are climbing a mountain, they say it is important to look around every so often and see how far you have come because it motivates you to keep moving forward. It was a defining moment and, as Deputy Shortall said, it was a momentous moment that has made an enormous difference. It was a moment of epiphany in public health in the country, especially from a workplace point of view, but also from a societal point of view, from the point of view of an active smoker and that of a passive smoker.

The population is much healthier now than 20 years ago. Many people's lives have been saved. There has been a massive reduction in mortality and morbidity rates.

One thing that is rarely mentioned is that it has taken a lot of pressure off our health service. There are fewer admissions now as a result of smoking. There are fewer strokes and there is less coronary heart disease, vascular disease, COPD and respiratory illness. It is having a massive effect from the point of view of the health service, and taking a lot of pressure off. There is much less air pollution, and to be fair, I think there is more money in people's pockets as a result. A lot of people have been using those savings for far more productive things in the meantime.

Another thing is that Ireland led the world for once. Over the last 20 years, a lot of countries have looked to Ireland as a model. If it has worked in Ireland, it can work elsewhere. They came to Dublin, they got their briefs and they brought them back to their home countries. I am not sure how many countries have introduced similar smoking bans but it is considerable, and I believe the approximate number is dozens at least.

That said, we cannot just sit on our laurels. There is still lots of work to do. It is very important that we capitalise on the successes that have already occurred. As the Tánaiste was saying earlier, 20 years ago - I am conscious of the teenagers in the Public Gallery - 19% of children were smoking, and now it is down to 5%. While we should acknowledge that progress, 5% is 5% too much. I would say 1% is 1% too much. We still have a lot of work to do from that point of view. I agree absolutely with previous speakers about the ban on vaping. The same nefarious tactics are being used by the same types of companies to make our children and teenagers addicted to this new type of nicotine transfer, and we need to work on that.

Finally, I want to mention that we spoke about the sticks. The sticks are important but we also need to work on the carrot. There are a lot of opportunities out there to assist people with smoking cessation. It is a hard thing to do. Again, that is the whole idea. It is hard to quit smoking, and people need some supports. We need more resources with regard to smoking cessation services, and in particular GPs. Our GP network is so overworked at the moment that you lose the opportunity to have those little opportunistic conversations as a GP to say: "Have you considered smoking cessation, and have you considered alternatives?". It is really important that we resource from that point of view.

In summary, there are three big takeaways for me with regard to the smoking ban. First, good public policy works and people will buy into it if it is evidenced-based, well communicated and for the greater good. That is a big takeaway for me. Second is that prevention is definitely better than cure, and there is a good reason for that. Third, improving things in the country does not always require additional resources. It generally does but it does not always require it. It is not all about spending more money; it is about focusing and spending better, rather than spending more. That is all I have, and I wish the Minister of State the very best of luck in his new role.

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