Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raised this matter with the Minister of State on the previous occasion. It has to do with setting the price of a packet of cigarettes. I wrote to the Department in the meantime. I want to put on record the fact that some packets of cigarettes are on special offer and are being sold at a lower price. We are trying to encourage people to stop smoking. My understanding is that the price is set by the manufacturers. I am not sure that is healthy. Maybe the Department could reconsider this down the line. As I said on Second Stage, if you go into a premises with a vending machine, there is often 10 cent or 15 cent extra on the price. I ask the Minister of State to commit to looking at this, maybe not today but down the line, because it is of real importance to small retailers and especially to members of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association.