Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister spoke about enforcement and these are the penalties. This is with regard to people convicted of selling products to those aged under 18. The Minister has spoken about enforcement and increasing the age to 21. Something on which we should really focus is what we do to those selling the products to children and not to adults. It is merely window dressing and being seen to do something. It is just not good enough. I read the Bill digest from the Oireachtas Library and Research Service, which was very informative. It is interesting to note that a limited number of countries have bans. One of these is the United States, which has also banned vapes up to the age of 21 and also has an alcohol ban up to the age of 21. Latvia is the only other country I could see that has a ban, which is up to the age of 20. The United States has a very strict ID system and it has technology to deal with the issue of ID.

Most people just do not get this Bill. I have spoken to a number of people about it and they do not really understand it. Many young people believe it is an insult to them. As has been said, they say they can get married, buy alcohol, use a sunbed, which is something that causes a large number of skin cancer cases, vape a virtually unregulated product to their heart's content, join the Defence Forces and vote, and some would say voting for certain parties can be very damaging to your health also. However, the State has picked this one out and said of all the dangerous things available to an 18-year-old, this is the one it makes illegal. It just does not make sense.

I would like to have spoken more about vapes but unfortunately I cannot do so. They have already been spoken about by Deputy Gould. The products that are on sale and the advertising are directly targeted at children. The Minister introduced regulations late last year but he did not then introduce, and still has not introduced, measures on the display of nicotine inhaling products, the appearance of nicotine inhaling products and their packaging, proxy sales of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products, smoking indoors, extending the smoke-free restrictions to vaping, and taxing vaping liquids. So much more could be done on these issues with regard to products being targeted at children and not adults.

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