Written answers
Thursday, 16 May 2024
Department of Health
Tobacco Control Measures
John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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256. To ask the Minister for Health if the detailed results of the public consultation on Further Regulation of Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products, which his Department conducted from 25 November 2023 to 5 December 2024, will be published in full before proposals for new legislation on raising the legal age for smoking are brought to the Government. [22192/24]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I received Cabinet approval on Tuesday 14th May to draft a Bill to raise the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21. The Regulatory Impact Analysis for this proposal incorporates the results of the question on possible changes to the current age of sale that was contained in my recent public consultation on proposed approaches to the regulation of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products. The consultation received 15,822 responses and analysis of those responses is ongoing.
Tobacco smoking causes catastrophic health harms and continues to kill an estimated 4,500 of our population every year. It is my intention to draft and enact the measure on raising the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products as soon as possible in order to reduce the disease, disability and death caused by this lethal addiction.
John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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257. To ask the Minister for Health if a detailed regulatory impact assessment will be prepared and published at the same time as the general scheme of proposed new legislation on raising the legal age for smoking. [22193/24]
John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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258. To ask the Minister for Health if he has consulted with retailers on the workability of raising the legal age for smoking, particularly given that differing age limits could apply to the purchase of alcohol and tobacco products; and if this matter will be assessed thoroughly in the regulatory impact assessment on the legislation proposing a change in the age for smoking. [22194/24]
John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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259. To ask the Minister for Health if the current legislative provision for test-purchasing of tobacco by persons under the current age limit would be extended to allow 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to be used for test-purchasing if the legal age for smoking is raised to 21. [22195/24]
John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Health if he has consulted with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on the civil liberty and equality implications of his proposal to remove the right to smoke, which currently extends to all adults from over 190,000 Irish adults on the basis of age. [22196/24]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 to 260, inclusive, together.
The proposal approved by Government on 14 May relates to the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products rather than to a legal age for smoking or a legal age related to the right to smoke.
A Regulatory Impact Analysis was submitted to Government as part of the proposal.
As tobacco smoking continues to kill an estimated 4,500 of our population each year, my Government colleagues approved my proposal to take strong action to reduce our smoking prevalence and to do so as quickly as possible.
The proposal does not include measures in relation to test purchasing. Consideration will be given to such measures in future law and in consultation with the enforcement authority, the National Environmental Health Service of the HSE.
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