Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The adverse effects of smoking have been referred to in many of the debates on this subject and I will not rehearse them now. The 7,000 deaths in Ireland each year attributed to tobacco-related illness is a striking statistic. As Senator Ryan said, the phenomenon of older people living longer is a separate issue we must address, but the tragedy of premature death is a shocking one. It is shocking for children who often suffer the loss of a beloved parent at a very young age and it is also shocking for the relatives of the person concerned. We are all aware from our experiences of the loss and the trauma premature death can cause to the individuals affected by it. Anything that lessens that is of value quite apart from the savings of this initiative to the health service.

There is an issue of financial saving to the health service. We all know from repeated discussions on the health Estimates the high cost of hospital care in these areas is noteworthy and that cost can be saved. There is a natural way of dying as well as a natural way of living. There is no doubt there are substantial economic and personal benefits from this initiative. The State assumes the cost of health care and measures such as workplace bans on smoking are vital if that burden is to be reduced.

The Minister made this initiative one of his priorities and certainly he is to be congratulated on implementing it. It is important to note the national public information campaign entitled "Smoke-Free at Work" has been rolling out across television, radio and the print media. A series of print materials has been prepared for workplaces, employees and the general public. They are available and can be downloaded from a new smoke-free at work website. As Senator Brady pointed out, that campaign is providing guidance and information to all sections to help them in complying with the smoke-free workplaces measures.

Information is available on-line from the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority websites. An understanding and a formal memorandum has been agreed and signed by these two agencies to ensure compliance with the new measure. Workplace locations traditionally visited by the Health and Safety Authority will now also have to comply with the new smoke-free measure as part of their general compliance with health and safety requirements. Monitoring compliance with the smoke-free requirements in the food and hospitality area is now carried out by officers from health boards. Health boards with vacancies in their established environmental health officer complements in the tobacco control area are in the process of filling these posts. The emphasis of the campaign is on compliance building and harnessing the widespread public support and goodwill that exists for a smoke-free environment. There will be a bit of the carrot around for a few weeks before the stick appears. The response to the campaign to date has been positive. There has been a large demand from all sectors for the materials which are designed to be practical, relevant and helpful. This important tobacco-free initiative has the support of the majority of people in Ireland, smokers and non-smokers alike. There has been a large concentration on the impact of the measure on the hospitality area and the licensed trade in particular, but the initiative is aimed at indoor workplaces generally and is not merely confined to licensed premises.

Adapting to the new measure will require adjustment especially in those workplaces which, up to now, have not benefited from the existing statutory controls on the smoking of tobacco products. I am confident there will be an adjustment as happened when cinemas, theatres, hairdressing salons, aircraft and many other settings went smoke-free.

The trade union movement has been very supportive and I am encouraged by the willingness shown by employers' organisations in the various sectors in recommending compliance with the new measure to their members. I pay particular tribute on this occasion to the trade union group that has been put together by the construction workers. Their various unions have collectively put forward a strong initiative in the area of tobacco control. A levy has been agreed to fund health initiatives of a preventative character throughout the construction industry among the employees. That is a tremendous example of the trade union movement working at its best. I was delighted to launch its initiative on Ash Wednesday.

The Minister has various measures to help smokers quit and to ensure that non-smoking becomes the norm. There is a quit line which is well established and widely used with 17,000 callers to date.

I thank the Senators for their contributions. I hope we have at last passed a milestone towards the total eradication of tobacco in this country.