Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which an evaluation has taken place of the benefits or dangers of vaping or other tobacco smoking alternatives with a view ensuring that the alternatives are not a gateway to return to tobacco smoking; whether and to what extent the health issues are being fully examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59749/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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At national level a number of evaluations of the harms and benefits of vaping products have been carried out in recent years. In 2017, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) delivered a health technology assessment (HTA) of the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical smoking cessation products and services. In relation to the safety of e-cigarettes, the HIQA assessment concluded that this remains an evolving area of research and that while potentially safer than smoking evidence on long-term safety had yet to be established.

In October of last year, the Health Research Board published the findings of its evidence review on electronic cigarettes. The review focused on the evidence available on three topics; the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, electronic cigarette use as a gateway to subsequent smoking in adolescents, and on the health harms and benefits of electronic cigarettes and heat - not - burn tobacco products.

The evidence review found that e-cigarettes are not harmless but that they are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, that e-cigarettes are as effective as nicotine replacement therapies for smoking cessation up to 6 months and that there is a positive association between e-cigarette use and subsequent smoking in adolescents.

The review also made clear that further research was needed on the effects of alternatives such as heat - not - burn tobacco products as there is currently insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about these products.

The findings of the Health Research Board's research on the use of electronic cigarettes by adolescents underscore the importance of the proposed Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill. The Bill will further regulate nicotine inhaling products by prohibiting their sale to and by persons under the age of 18 and by introducing a licensing system for the retail sale of these products.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Health the extent of any detected increase in tobacco smoking and from whence it may have arisen; if measures are likely to deter any return to tobacco consumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59750/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Health the steps needed to be taken to dissuade a return to tobacco smoking by whatever means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59751/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together.

Adult smoking trends are monitored via the Healthy Ireland Survey in order to measure success against the objective of Tobacco Free Ireland, the national tobacco control policy, to achieve a smokefree Ireland by 2025. Overall smoking prevalence declined by 6% between 2015 and 2019 indicating that increasing numbers of people are successfully quitting long-term.

In relation to relapse rates, the 2019 Survey identified that 46% of those who smoked in that year made an attempt to quit with 25% successfully quitting. The 2019 survey found that 52% of successful quitters did not use any quitting aids, with 38% using e-cigarettes and 10% using nicotine replacement therapies.

While the 2020 survey could not be conducted due to COVID-19 a survey was carried out in 2021 and its findings will be published shortly.

Reducing relapse rates amongst those who have quit smoking is an important part of the overall framework to reduce tobacco-related harm as part of Tobacco Free Ireland. Measures introduced to achieve a reduction in smoking prevalence generally will equally apply to those who have quit smoking and subsequently relapsed; these include access to cessation services, roll out of mass media campaigns under the HSE QUIT programme, increases in the cost of tobacco products and regulation of the retail environment. The Tobacco Free Ireland 2020 Annual Report which was published in September provides details on the progress made in these areas in 2020.