James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I genuinely thank the Senator for sharing his personal experience with us because it is real and true of so many families who have lost loved ones and seen them suffer. It would have been all so unnecessary had we been more aggressive on tobacco policy in the past.

Successful legal cases have been taken in the United States against companies for misleading people in advertising a product that they knew was carcinogenic. There may be a case to be examined in that regard. Our fight against tobacco will be relentless and unforgiving and we will not stop until we rid the country of this scourge. There is tremendous support for the fight in Europe and the European Union must provide cross-Government support for economies that have grown to be dependent on tobacco production. We must encourage them into other areas of production that do not have such catastrophic consequences for the consumer. It is extraordinary to think that by using this product as advised by the manufacturer, one in two people will die. The pain behind it does not hit us when we say it like that, but when we reflect on the matter, we realise it.

I look forward to getting the Bill through. I said I wanted it to be a pyrrhic victory for the tobacco industry. It will turn out to be the beginning of a long road to defeat for it across the Oireachtas - the Seanad and the Dáil - and Europe. I thank everyone concerned for his or her support and contributions.