Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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244. To ask the Minister for Health if he has any concerns regarding the possible impact of e-cigarettes on young people in terms of encouraging them to become smokers; if he is concerned that tobacco manufacturing and same companies are investing in and procuring e-cigarette companies; if it is his health policy that the e-cigarette industry be subsidised in any way here through grant aid, agency support and so on [10031/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The current position in relation to e-cigarettes in Ireland is that if e-cigarettes are not presented as medicinal products for smoking cessation or as medical devices with a therapeutic purpose, they do not fall under the medicinal products or medical devices legislation. As e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco they are currently not regulated under our tobacco legislation.

Guidelines developed under the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control contain recommendations that countries should not grant aid the tobacco industry. However, it is important to note that these guidelines were developed in the context of the industry producing tobacco containing products.

Tobacco Free Ireland, Ireland’s tobacco control policy, states that the general consensus at European level is that there is a lack of research in relation to the long term health effects of e-cigarettes and a lack of sufficient evidence that they aid with smoking cessation. There is a concern that e-cigarettes may act as a gateway to tobacco smoking.

In order to harmonise regulation of e-cigarettes across EU Member States, the new Tobacco Products Directive,which still has to be formally adopted at European level will, inter alia, provide for the regulation of e-cigarettes. The Tobacco Directive will set mandatory safety and quality requirements e.g. on nicotine content, ingredients and devices, as well as refill mechanisms etc., for e-cigarettes; make health warnings and information leaflets obligatory; introduce notification requirements for manufacturers and importers of e-cigarettes; impose stricter rules on advertising and monitoring of market developments.

In view of the lack of sufficient research and information regarding e-cigarettes, my Department will continue to monitor existing and emerging evidence on the potential harm and the potential benefits of e-cigarettes.