John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising what is a very important issue. The Minister is committed to bringing this legislation forward. The Senator rightly pointed out that the targeting of young people by the tobacco and nicotine industries is not a new issue, and that is why we as Government are committed to tackling issues such as the single-use vapes, advertising and the display of these products to protect our young people and our population. There has been a huge increase in shops across Ireland selling vapes and we want to tackle that. The measures the Minister is looking to bring forward are a proactive step in the right direction. We want as a Government to ensure we have achieved the target of less than 5% of the population smoking. Everything the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is doing in the space of health is in the form of proactive measures to protect people. We look forward to working with this House and the Dáil in progressing those changes.