John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We want them either to have the smarts and intelligence to take up an alternative line of business or to go out of business. If they are going to insist on working in businesses which have as their business plan the simple four words "addict children to carcinogens" we want them to fail. In no sense are they partners of ours. The Minister has been a noble exception but other members of the Government made a mistake in allowing representatives of that industry, through well-connected lobbyists, to come to Government Buildings and, in truth, to lobby on behalf of their product and its sales, when they alleged they were doing something entirely different.

I was born in the United States to Irish parents. We immigrated here, emigrated back to the United States and then immigrated back here again, perhaps not for the last time, so as a quintessential Irish-American it is a source of great pain to me that not only the US Chamber of Commerce but also individual, democratically elected American politicians have tried to influence our Government's attempts to legislate on behalf of its citizens. In a few weeks many of the Minister's colleagues in the Government will be attending receptions, functions, parties and parades across the United States. I wonder if it is too late to develop some type of little logo for St. Patrick's Day, with a shamrock and stubbed out cigarette or something similar, that all of them could wear.

The Taoiseach will go to Washington, which is just across the Potomac from Virginia where the former governor was lobbying against our attempts to protect our citizens before he lost his liberty some time ago. The Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, will be in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, will be in New York, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohoe, will be in San Francisco, the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Kehoe, will be in Houston, the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ring, will be in Phoenix and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coffey, will be in St. Louis. Furthermore, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will be in Japan, headquarters of Japan Tobacco International, one of the companies which attempted to influence our legislation. They should forthrightly use each of those occasions as an opportunity to tell the people in those locations that this is an unwelcome interference in our sovereign rights. This is not something people should fear politically. In all of those countries the majority of people are anti-smoking. Study after study shows that the majority of people are in favour of further reining in this industry. The issue of legal representation is a thorny one. Everybody has the right to a lawyer but representation needs to be looked at. My own sense is that there would be considerable Government discretion shown in the choice of where legal contracts go. People have, historically, used all manner of considerations in deciding where such contracts would go and I am sure such consideration exists. I strongly urge that this Government and its agencies or public bodies have nothing to do with any public relations company that works on behalf of the tobacco industry.