Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome the content of the Bill. I appreciate that the European framework and legislation make it difficult for the Minister and will raise challenges in the future as to how the Department and the Government continue the battle against smoking. The Minister has always been passionate on this topic and this comes from personal experience. We are spending €2 billion a year in combating the effects of smoking, and that is a lot of money. I would prefer to see this money being spent on education, prevention and smoking cessation measures. The Minister hopes to develop a policy on those matters in the near future.

The public consultation committee of this House sat recently. One of the topics raised was the need for further and more effective smoking cessation programmes. I attended the launch of the Healthy Ireland framework, which deals with smoking. One in every two smokers dies from smoking-related illnesses. The Minister has no choice but to do everything in his power to fight this battle - and it is a battle - because the very powerful tobacco companies have massive funds and they have longevity on their side. They have been promoting cigarette smoking for a long time. Cigarettes are part of the way we live, on sale in shops and in places where we do business every day. It is very difficult to change overnight something that is woven into the fabric of our world.

This Bill is one small step against special offers such as three for two. It is a welcome initiative, as was the change in packaging. The Minister is correct to say that his Department will need to be vigilant about how manufacturers and retailers will try to continue to sell tobacco. It is good to see that the number of child smokers is decreasing, but it is still very high at 12%. As a GP, the Minister will agree that it is terrible that young children are smoking. Their later health will be compromised due to the emergence of diabetes and heart conditions which we know are preventable. The challenges for public health are obesity and smoking. This Bill is a tiny but welcome piece of the jigsaw.

I would love to see some of the expenditure that is needed to look after those who are suffering the ill effects of smoking being spent instead on education so that we are not relying solely on photographs on cigarette packs. Children need to be educated to understand the dangers of smoking. The Cabinet committee on social policy is the committee responsible for ensuring that the Healthy Ireland framework is implemented. There is much work to be done. We should declare war on the tobacco lobby. We should say that we will defy any actions to promote and pursue the sale of tobacco in this country. It is a difficult task, because smoking cigarettes is endemic, but we have to stand up to these activities. The tobacco companies have lots of money and deep pockets. The Minister knows the figures. I welcome the Bill as a small piece of a jigsaw. I ask if the Minister has any influence over online selling of tobacco products, which is not included in this Bill.