Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister to give us an outline in advance of Report Stage of the extent of the success of the no-smoking campaigns. I used to smoke, but I have given up cigarettes. I would not know where to go to get cigarettes at the moment. I am told that the number of smokers is nearly as big as it was some years ago. The HSE spends approximately €50 million on no-smoking campaigns each year. Cigarette advertising has been banned. Cigarettes have been banned everywhere. When one goes into a supermarket, they are behind shelves. I ask the Minister to outline to us how much the HSE spends on no-smoking campaigns and how successful these campaigns have been. More and more people in this country are going on holidays and bringing back duty-free cigarettes from other countries. Cigarettes have never been more expensive in this country. We have done so much on the cigarette issue. We have increased the cost of cigarettes, banned them and put them behind shelves so that people cannot find them anywhere. There is no advertising. The State is spending a considerable amount of money on no-smoking campaigns, but many people are still smoking. I ask the Minister to give us some details in this regard.

I would like to make a point about education. As I was listening to the radio the other day, I heard an advertisement suggesting that people who want to find out about the risk that alcohol poses to them should visit the HSE website. I would like to know whether it is a very active website. Do many people visit the HSE website to find out about the damage caused by alcohol? I have seen the biggest change ever in the GAA, which is probably the biggest organisation in the country. When I was playing football in the 1970s and 1980s, after every match both teams met in the local pub to drink.