Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome. There are just a couple of points I wish to bring up. I am speaking as an ex-smoker for a long number of years. I have been off them for 20 years, thank God. I was in a school in Longford, with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, approximately 18 months ago, where a lady named Grace Kearney from the local family resource centre, Bridgeways in Ballymahon, spoke with first and second years about vapes. It was only through conversation with her that the actual situation as it was on the ground was majorly brought to my attention. There are 9, 10 and 11-year-olds vaping. Businesses were giving out free samples and they were delivering them to youngsters outside schools to try to get them hooked on vapes. When they are hooked on them, they will be customers for a prolonged length of time. I want to compliment Ms Kearney on the work she was doing by trying to tell youngsters about the dangers of vapes. I think there was mindset out there that it was cool because there were all these various different flavours.

I was at the Fleadh Cheoil in Mullingar last summer. There was a queue at a shop when I was going out with my young lad to buy ice cream for him. I thought the queue was for the ice cream machine, but the queue of approximately 40 youngsters, aged approximately 12 years and up, was to buy vapes in the shop. What is happening on the ground blew my mind. It is therefore time we had this legislation in place.

I am also a retailer. I always had an over-18 policy for vapes, as did all the other shops in my village. We collectively made a decision that was the way it was going to be for all of us. I know that happened in other areas, but there are places where that did not happen. I have a few concerns. Some of them have been mentioned by Senator McGahon in the last few minutes with regard to the licence and the cost of it. It is another cost for small retailers. Is the licence going to cost me, as a small retailer in a local village, the same price it will cost a retailer on a high street here in Dublin or will it be gradual and based on location?

The point was also made about the sizes of the boxes of cigarettes. I agree that we need to look at that. When we got rid of the ten-pack of cigarettes, it made a difference at the time regarding the younger generation that purchased cigarettes. I am seeing now that more people are buying the larger boxes because they become slightly cheaper when they buy them in large quantities. The reality is that people are smoking more. I do think it is something that needs to be looked at.

I do have a concern because I pay my licence fee to the Revenue Commissioners. Why is it the HSE and not the Revenue Commissioners that will be administering this licence? I ask for a little clarity on the cost of the licence and whether it will be the same across the board for every single retailer. It should be implemented by Revenue. Has any consideration been given to the box size cigarettes are sold in? I know that is not relevant to this legislation, but I have concerns about it.