Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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69. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if the retail consultation forum meeting convened by his Department on 11 September 2014 considered the issue of the proposed licensing system in respect of the sale of tobacco products and its likely impact on the retail trade, particularly in the convenience store and newsagent sector; if his Department has been consulted by the Department of Health in the preparation of a regulatory impact assessment for this measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38658/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Retail Consultation Forum was established in June of this year to provide a platform for a structured engagement between the Retail sector and relevant Government Departments and agencies. The Forum has met on two occasions to date – firstly on 9 June and more recently on 11 September. The Forum membership includes retail representatives of both convenience stores and newsagents’ shops.

The issue of the proposed licensing of tobacco sales, particularly in the context of convenience stores, was raised by members of the Retail Consultation Forum in June and is an issue to be discussed further in the future work of the Forum. In order to facilitate that discussion, my Department is in the process of inviting a representative of the Department of Health to join the Retail Consultation Forum in relation to this matter and other issues relevant to that Department.

I understand that, as part of the Regulatory Impact Analysis and a wider consultation process, the Department of Health will be writing to relevant Government Departments to seek their views on the proposed legislation in relation to the sale of tobacco products and non-medicinal nicotine delivery systems (including e-cigarettes).