Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a couple of issues. The first relates to childcare and is becoming a major issue in the community childcare facilities with which I work in Longford. I am sure the situation is replicated across the country. Some facilities are at a point where they are struggling to get staff in order to provide services and are turning away parents who are looking to get their children into childcare for the September coming. We need the relevant Minister to attend the Chamber because the issue needs to be dealt with immediately. We need to put proper pay structures in place for our childcare sector or we are going to face a crisis whereby people will not be able to go to work because they cannot access childcare. We must compliment the staff in the childcare sector for the work they do. They need proper supports and pay. Parents need childcare to be able to go to work. I would like a debate on that matter, if possible before the summer recess, because it is going to be a major issue come September.

I also raise the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill, which is at the stage of pre-legislative scrutiny. I sincerely hope it will come before one of the Houses before the recess. We have a major issue on our hands in the area of vaping and e-cigarettes. There are children as young as ten or 11 years of age addicted to vaping because controls are not in place at present with regard to the sale of those products. I know the Bill is in process but we need to make sure it comes before the Houses. This addiction is going to lead to follow-on crime, etc., if youngsters are addicted. I have heard of shops that are delivering vaping products to children in their homes. Kids as young as ten or 11 years of age are addicted to vaping.I wish to raise a few points regarding the Bill. We need to look at the issue of small retailers. There is a growing market in the sale of larger packs of cigarettes, which now account for 30% of cigarette sales. The larger packs are sold at discounted prices to get more people to buy more cigarettes. We are allowing that. That needs to be addressed and we must stop the practice. In some other countries, retailers are only allowed to sell packs of 20. We should follow suit. It is important that we address the matter. We must look at the whole issue of identification requirements in the sale of tobacco. Retailers must ensure that they know whether a child is over or under the age of 18. The issue must be addressed.