Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

First, I thank everyone for the points that have been raised and for this important debate. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and I are very much aware of the issues of bringing the legislation before the House. Some TDs said we are not moving quickly enough in respect of it, but we are. It is a priority. I assure Members of that.

We all want our children to have the best start in life, and that is why it is important that we, as legislators, take action that will make it easier for our children and ourselves to make healthy decisions. As Minister of State with responsibility for public health, tackling the use of vapes is a top priority for me and for the Government. Like many Members, I hear the concerns of parents, teachers and coaches. I also know that the number of these vape shops in our towns and villages is a concern. The array of colours and flavours on display seems determined to affect our children. I will be writing to all local authorities to ask them to consider provisions in their development plans that would limit the number of vape shops for which planning permission can be granted in our towns and villages. That is a real priority for me.

So many questions were asked by Members. On the proposed legislation relating to vapes and the colours and flavours of vapes, one of the proposals is that we would look at introducing shutters - such as we have with cigarettes - in vaping shops in which vapes of all colours are currently on display. Another proposal is to have a campaign in this regard. As Minister of State, I am very mindful that we have to have an awareness campaign. Information will be crucial. Education came up a lot during the debate, as did how we might deal with the matter in our schools. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in respect of that matter. We are looking at a ban on disposable vapes.

I need to get clarification on one point. One Member brought up the fact that he had been speaking to people and discovered that 17 shops had sold vapes to minors. It has been illegal to sell vapes to minors since 2023, so these shops are breaking the law. I hope the HSE has been contacted about this and that the law is being enforced. The shops in question are breaking the law. It is important for us, as legislators, to highlight that. If shops sell to minors, they are breaking the law.

Another issue that came up is enforcement. The national environmental health service is responsible for enforcing the legislation that prohibits the sale of tobacco to minors. That is hugely important. Our environmental officers in each county are carrying out a test purchase programme in respect of retailers of tobacco and nicotine-inhaling products using volunteers who are minors. Retailers who are selling to minors will be prosecuted. If nothing else goes out from this debate, it is extremely important that this message does go out. Another way of monitoring this is the new licensing system that will come into force next year. This will also help to monitor vaping shops and will allow us to be aware of what is going on within them. That is really important.

Nicotine pouches were referred to. I will explain where we are at the moment. The introduction of laws on these products has already been discussed at EU level in the context of a revised tobacco product directive. An EU-wide public consultation was carried out in 2023 to obtain views on the regulation of novel products such as nicotine pouches. I understand people's concerns, but using EU-wide measures is the most effective way to proceed. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has called on the Commission to introduce a revised tobacco products directive as soon as possible and for this to cover all nicotine products, including pouches. It is so important that this information gets out there.

Another matter that was raised was that relating to services to help people quit vaping and what is currently in place in this regard. The HSE has submitted a request for funding to establish a pilot service to help people stop vaping. This includes research into the types of support that will be safe, effective and clinically sound for vaping. The request will be considered as part of the broader Estimates process relating to budget 2026. For adults, the HSE provides safe, effective and clinically sound services for those who want to stop smoking. These are both free and easy to access. They have been designed for people who smoke cigarettes and incorporate behavioural support and access to free medicines to help people stop smoking. The adult service is currently able to support smokers who also vape, so it is a dual-user service. It is about stopping smoking, and vaping is including in that.

The vaping prevention campaign also came up. Funding was allocated in budget 2025 for a youth vaping prevention media campaign. I am very much working on this. It is all about information, awareness and the media campaign. That campaign is being developed by the HSE. It is intended that it will come into operation by the end of this year. As part of the process, research is being conducted with young people to ensure that the messaging is helpful, effective and relevant for the target audience. This campaign will provide evidence-based messaging to young people and information and support to parents and guardians who are concerned about vaping. It may also contribute to the continuing decline in tobacco use among young people, given the association between vaping and subsequent smoking in adolescence.

Reference was made to smoke-free areas. I am trying to get in as much information as I can into the answers I am providing. The tobacco-free Ireland policy is being updated. We are looking at policies in respect of smoking areas for vaping and cigarettes.

The tobacco-free Ireland policy is being updated.

Some Deputies asked about tobacco industry lobbying in relation to the two forthcoming Bills. That is prohibited. It is prohibited and cannot happen. It is important to say that the reason I wanted to come in today and speak about this is because I have huge concerns about vaping. As has been said, the targeting of younger age groups has been very effective. I want to make sure that this House knows that a great deal of work is being done by the Department, the Minister and me. We are working on this. There are two Bills that will be coming in. One will deal with the ban on disposable vapes and the other relates to colours and packaging. It is very visual when you walk into a shop. We will also look at the introduction of shutters. These are all proposals and Bills that are being prioritised by the Government. I assure everyone that I am doing my utmost to get those Bills before the House as soon as possible. The commitment will be, hopefully with all of us working together, to get both passed in order that we can have more enforcement and give a commitment to the future children of Ireland and everyone else. We are very much aware that we need to get the legislation done.

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