Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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53. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department is considering amending the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 to ensure that this includes the advertising of all nicotine products, including nicotine pouches; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34931/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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My current legislative priority is our proposals, approved by Government on 10 September, to further regulate nicotine inhaling products. These measures are now being drafted with the Office of the Attorney General with the objective of reducing youth use of nicotine inhaling products and include:

- a ban on point-of-sale display and advertising of these products in most shops,- restrictions on the colours and imagery used on nicotine inhaling products and their packaging,- a ban on devices resembling toys or games,- restrictions on flavours, and- a ban on disposable vapes.

Once completed, the draft legislation will require notification at EU level under the Technical Standards Directive (Directive 2015/1535) and the EU Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU).

The regulation of newer nicotine products such as pouches is being discussed at EU level, both in terms of how these products are categorised and in the context of the review of the Tobacco Products Directive. An EU public consultation was carried out in 2023 to gain views on further regulation of novel products and it is expected that they will be included in the next iteration of the Directive.