Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My current legislative priority is the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill, which will introduce a suite of measures which aim to reduce the appeal and availability of nicotine inhaling products such as electronic cigarettes to young people. In particular the Bill will prohibit the sale of these products to children and introduce a requirement for a licence for their sale.

Measures contained in the Bill include:

• A prohibition on the sale of nicotine inhaling products to those aged under 18.
• The creation of a licencing system for the retail sale of nicotine inhaling products. Retailers will need to apply for a licence, renew it annually, and pay a fee.
• A prohibition on the sale of nicotine inhaling products from self-service vending machines, temporary or moveable premises, and events aimed at children.
• A prohibition on the advertising of nicotine inhaling products near schools, in cinemas, or on public transport.
• The introduction of new penalties for retailers who commit offences related to nicotine inhaling products.

The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill completed the Second Stage on 15 June 2023 and is next at Committee Stage on 12 October 2023. It is expected to be enacted in this legislative session.

Further effective regulation of nicotine inhaling products is complex. Successful actions on public health issues require multiple evidence-based interventions in order to affect usage. Each aspect of the product, including pricing, advertising, packaging and sale needs to be addressed in order to have a successful impact. There are a range of options for how best to regulate these products while taking into consideration their relative harm compared to combustible tobacco products. In the context of all of these considerations, options for the development of further and comprehensive legislation on nicotine inhaling products will be examined.

My colleague Ossian Smyth, Minister of State in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, recently held a public consultation on disposable vaping devices to examine what action should be taken, from an environmental perspective, as disposable vaping devices present several environmental challenges. The options being considered include introducing legislation to ban the manufacture, sale, distribution, or free offer of disposable vaping devices. I await the results of this consultation with interest. I will work with Minister Smith to provide any assistance that will ensure that this important measure is enacted as soon as possible.

Regarding the concerns raised relating to educating children on the dangers on vaping through the SPHE modules, I have referred this part of the query to the HSE for answer.