Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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420. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to introduce free nicotine patches for persons with nicotine addiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47018/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Tobacco consumption is the largest avoidable health threat in Ireland; 1 in 2 smokers will die from a tobacco related disease. TheTobacco Free Ireland(2013) policy document contains a number of recommendations to assist smokers in quitting tobacco use. In relation to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (‘NRT’) the recommendation is that NRT should be more widely available, including in outlets where tobacco products are sold. In 2014 the Health Products Regulatory Authority announced that they have licensed some Nicotine Replacement Therapies to be sold in non-pharmacy outlets.

Nicotine replacement therapies are already available free of charge to medical card holders. This approach has been taken on the basis of evidence showing that those in lower income groups have a higher prevalence of smoking than those in higher income groups. There are no plans at present to make NRT available free of charge to the general population.