Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

Senator Norris used very colourful language, on which I commend him.

I welcome the correct approach taken in the Bill not to merge the Food Safety Authority of Ireland or the Irish Medicines Board with the Office of Tobacco Control, as those organisations have specific remits. Bringing the office into the Health Service Executive allows us added value and will improve the health aspects of tobacco.

Unlike certain other Senators, I would be one of those described as a goody-goody as I have never smoked in my life. When I was a student in London I worked in a pub at one stage where I found passive smoking to be appalling. After a night's work, I went home and coughed my lungs up. It was disgusting and was nothing to do with me smoking but with others.

As many Senators said, the success of the smoking ban is not only to the credit of the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, but also to the Government of the day. More than anything, however, it is to the credit of the people. The initiative has had a great impact and is now being copied all over the world. Therefore, we do get some things right in this country. Unfortunately, however, our financial difficulties are also being copied all over the world.

I wish to expand on a specific point made by Senator Norris. He said he was disappointed that there had not been an increase in the tax rate on cigarettes in this or the last budget. I completely concur with him - there should have been an increase in the tax rate on tobacco in the last two budgets.

There seems to be an anomaly in how the rate of inflation is calculated. An increase in the price of tobacco products seems to skew the rate of inflation over and above the expenditure involved. I ask the Minister of State to examine this point because we should be able to raise the price of cigarettes without it having such an effect on the rate of inflation. This objective should be achievable.

Any impediment in raising the tax rate on tobacco should be removed because such a tax has a beneficial effect. Poverty is frequently raised as an issue in arguments about the price of tobacco. Cigarette smoking is addictive and traditionally many in poorer areas smoke. A measure similar to the carbon tax is needed, whereby any revenue raised by an increase in the tax rate on tobacco could be used to promote programmes and products to help people to quit smoking. As people commonly want to quit smoking, they should be provided with products such as nicotine patches to help them to do so. An increased tax rate on cigarettes could raise funding to finance such initiatives.

Cigarette smuggling is becoming a big issue, but why are people being allowed to sell illegal cigarettes on O'Connell Bridge? Such activity should not be tolerated. People may say it is not an issue for the Garda Síochána, but I ask the Minister of State to explore the possibility of using unemployed persons to police the problem as community wardens. Local authority employees could also act to stop the illegal sale of cigarettes. It should not be necessary to arrest people, but we must control cigarette smuggling which cannot be tolerated.

Huge numbers of cigarettes are being imported illegally in container ships. This problem needs to be dealt with at the point of importation, but we have a land border with Northern Ireland and it is very easy to import and export illegal cigarettes via that route. It is also difficult to prevent illegal cigarettes being imported through small ports and harbours smuggled aboard ships or small boats in some cases. We must do what we can in policing the problem.

Senator Fitzgerald was right to indicate the linkage between cigarette smuggling and the importation of other illicit drugs. It is crucial that this problem is policed.

Not all of these points relate to the Bill, but we do not receive too many opportunities to discuss the issue of tobacco control. This country would be a much better place in which to live if we could reduce further the level of tobacco consumption. While I do not want to be too prescriptive about the culture that has developed outside pubs with the provision of heated outdoor facilities, it is necessary to ensure the smoking ban is adhered to. We should not consider that the indoor smoking ban in public places is complete. We should keep tightening the regulations on where people can and cannot smoke. Smoking is an anti-social exercise that belonged to the 19th century, not the modern age. The country would be a healthier place in which to live if we could cut back as much as possible on the level of tobacco consumption. I would like to see the day when smoking will go out of fashion and people will look on it as something that was done in the Dark Ages. I hope that will happen because the benefits associated with smoking are nil, whereas the problems associated with it are widespread. I reiterate Senator Feeney's plea to younger people not to start smoking because it is not cool to smoke. Most older people who got hooked on it in their youth find it very difficult to quit, even if they want to do so.

Senators have made responsible contributions to this debate. It is important that there is unanimous support for the legislation and that we ensure it is passed. I again thank the Minister of State for bringing it before the House.