Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would like to thank Senator Conway for raising this important issue and for the opportunity to discuss the steps that we at the Department of Health are taking in moving the country towards a tobacco-free society.

It is important to take a moment to consider the immense damage that smoking causes to the health of people in this country. It is well documented that smoking is the greatest single cause of preventable illness and premature death in Ireland, killing over 5,200 people each year. Half of all long-term smokers will die from smoking-related diseases.

So what are we doing to alleviate the societal and economic burden placed on us by smoking? What can we do to discourage people from smoking? Since his appointment as Minister for Health, my colleague, Deputy James Reilly, has been very public about his commitment to tackle the problem of smoking in Ireland. The tobacco policy review is nearing completion in the Department of Health and will make recommendations aimed at further reducing smoking.

No one measure alone can reduce the number of smokers or the number of our children who start to smoke. We need a combination of measures which includes, effective legislation, supports for smokers who are trying to quit, and effective media and education campaigns. All these measures have the effect of denormalising tobacco use in our society which, in my view, is the most effective way to prevent future generations from continuing the habit.

In consultation with the HSE, the Department of Health is continuously monitoring the ever-evolving marketing tactics of the tobacco industry, which were referred to by Senator Conway. As these evolve, so too must our legislative and policy framework by way of response.

A comprehensive range tobacco control legislation is in place in Ireland which places us in the top rank of countries internationally. Some of these significant initiatives include: successful implementation of the smoke-free initiative in 2004; a ban on the sale of packs of cigarettes of fewer than 20, in 2007; ground-breaking legislation in 2009 that introduced the ban on in-store display and advertising; and the introduction of the retail register.

Last December, the Minister for Health signed regulations which will place an obligation on tobacco manufacturers to include photographs on cigarette and tobacco packs. These images depict the negative health impacts associated with smoking. These packs will appear in our shops from 1 February 2013.

This particular measure, together with the 2009 retail measures, will have a positive impact on reducing the numbers of young people starting to smoke. It is heartening to see that in a recent survey the number of children smoking fell from 18% to 12% from 2002 to 2010.

The introduction of many of the legislative measures I have mentioned was facilitated by developments at European Union level. It is important that our tobacco policy and legislation framework continues to develop within the context of the European Commission. To this end, I hope to be in a position to progress the revised EU tobacco products directive during the course of the Irish EU Presidency in the first half of next year.

I am confident that the outcome of the revision of the directive, together with the implementation of the future recommendations of the report of the tobacco policy review group, will go a significant way to moving us towards a tobacco-free society.