Feargal Quinn (Independent)

Tomorrow we will debate cancer and the serious efforts being made to tackle it. I am sure cigarettes will be mentioned during the debate. As someone who is bitterly opposed to smoking, I believe Senator Crown will make a strong case for banning smoking altogether. A figure I read today that caught me by surprise was the seizure of 7 million cigarettes at Dublin Port yesterday. That means 50 million smuggled cigarettes have been seized in Ireland in the past six months. That is a huge figure. Many of those cigarettes were counterfeit and would have endangered health even more than the risk of cancer from normal cigarettes. The Retailers Against Smuggling association has brought the matter to our attention and has called for a minimum fine of €10,000, as against the current fine of €1,000 which does not act as a deterrent to cigarette smugglers.

I am not sure I am terribly enthusiastic about the Retailers Against Smuggling because I am sure it is looking after its own interests. That said, we must accept the case given that 50 million illegal cigarettes have been seized already this year. There must be something that we can do or action we can take. I am told smuggled cigarettes are on sale at every farmers' market and every fair. Surely we can take steps to stop it. Some years ago one could not walk down Talbot Street or Henry Street in Dublin without being offered illegal cigarettes or cigarettes being sold for a low price. We have talked about alcohol being sold at below cost but cigarettes being sold at below cost do just as much damage.