Search the Dáil record

1250. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will consider introducing legislation to ban vaping in indoor settings and in public spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48383/25]

1313. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if smoking cessation services also extend to the use of vapes or e-cigarettes [48822/25]

2219. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has recorded deaths in Ireland as a direct result of vaping; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45170/25]

2545. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health her plans to introduce plain packaging for vaping products in the upcoming Public Health (Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill and if such as a proposal is permissible under the provisions of the EU tobacco products directive. [46694/25]

2678. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the growing use of HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) vapes, a synthetic cannabinoid product, among young people; if the new Public Health (Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2025 will contain provisions to curtail this trend; and if not, if she will produce separate legislation on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the m…

3067. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the number of people hospitalised, per hospital, due to vaping related illnesses or injuries in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43068/25]

3068. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health if her Department has allocated funding to any initiatives aimed at reducing the use of vapes, specifically among younger people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43069/25]

915. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the number of enforcement actions that have been taken by the HSE’s National Environmental Health Service in relation to the illegal sale or distribution of vapes and e-cigarettes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39037/25]

315. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the way in which compliance with laws in respect of the supply and sales of vape products to persons under the age of 18 is being enforced; if he will provide a schedule of the number of sanctions imposed on retailers that have breached the law since enactment to date. [38588/25]

859. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health if the semi-synthetic cannabinoid hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), commonly found in vape products, will be included under schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, and if so, when the amendment is expected to take effect. [37721/25]

686. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of vape devices (details supplied); if her Department will legislate for them in the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35296/25]

687. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if her Department has analysed the research that is available re the dangers of vape devices (details supplied); the action proposed to be taken in order to restrict their use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35297/25]

89. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that vapes are being advertised and displayed alongside children’s toys in shops; if so, the steps he is taking to ensure the practice is curtailed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33165/25]

299. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Finance the tax certification regime that is to be put in place for vaping products and if he will address the concern that using a self-certification process rather than a tax stamp will increase opportunities for black market products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33716/25]

915. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health if her Department has fully examined the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2024, which warns of the potential for smokers to relapse if vape flavours are banned; if she can provide any estimate of the number of smokers that are expected to relapse; and if she will make a statement …

46. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Finance the details of the new proposal of the e-liquid products tax and the way in which he intends to ensure that tax evasion particularly from pop-up vape shops does not occur as a company (details supplied) reported that an illicit market could rise to nearly 60% - €131 million in tax could be lost each year; and the measures he is taking to en…

909. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the way in which the Government’s legislative response to the rise in vaping intends to be future proofed and cater for novel products such as nicotine pouches; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32691/25]

910. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health if consideration is being given to providing QUIT campaigns with free NRT products to people addicted to vapes and nicotine pouches; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32692/25]

1585. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if she will ban the use of hexahydrocannabinol vapes in Ireland; the timeline for the ban; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30333/25]

1614. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the regulations in place on HHC vapes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30523/25]

1615. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the information campaigns available, specifically for young people, on HHC vapes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30524/25]

12. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the proliferation of fires occurring in waste collection vehicles due to the presence of combustible lithium batteries within vaping devices, igniting in trucks while in transit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26098/25]

324. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health the date for when legislation will classify hexahydrocannabinol, HHC, as a schedule 1 controlled drug under the misuse of drugs legislative framework, with a particular focus on its use in vaping and the risks of accessibility to minors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24971/25]

187. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health if she will incorporate nicotine pouches into the upcoming vaping legislation to restrict the use of flavours and the sale of nicotine pouches to under-18s; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24627/25]

1012. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Health if any further steps are planned to resolve the impact vaping is having on our young people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23276/25]

I speak on behalf of the small convenience store, often the only store now in every village in rural Ireland. I want to raise serious concerns about the new tobacco and vaping licence fee due this month. What was a once-off fee of €50 is now a combined annual fee of €1,800. That is a 3,500% increase and 36 times higher than what it previously was. I understand the public health issue at the heart …

I support fully this Bill by my Sinn Féin constituency colleague, Deputy Mark Ward. In terms of its efforts to restrict the sale, possession and supply of nitrous oxide products, it has added to the whole debate. It should absolutely be lauded. In that context, while I take on board what the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, said about EU legislation and having to give notice and having to look at the…

In Ireland, we use over 200 million single-use tea and coffee cups a year. That equates to at least 20,000 cups an hour. That is a staggering figure. Coffee cups are, according to Irish Business Against Litter, among the top five most littered items in the country according to a recent survey. Most of these cups cannot go into recycling bins because of the polyethylene lining used in the paper, ma…

That concludes Taoiseach's Questions. We will now move to the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025.

There is a low level of legislative output and it is frustrating that we have not seen this Bill passed, and other areas. Law reform is needed in lots of other areas. We were talking yesterday about vapes and other areas. There is a need for law reform and we would like to see some of that progressed, including this Bill. As I said, it is crucially important. As Deputy Sherlock said, there is a di…

I want to raise the issue of lithium batteries which are everywhere now. Lithium is in rechargeable batteries, disposable vape battery packs and mobile phones. I think the Minister has a background in chemistry so he will know that lithium is highly reactive. I visited a waste to energy facility in Dublin recently and learned that lithium batteries are a huge problem because they end up in the was…

I want to address an issue that is becoming increasingly urgent, namely the safety of our children online. On radio today, Galway West Independent Ireland Councillor Noel Thomas called on the Government to examine the Australian model. This is a conversation we can no longer avoid. Australia has produced the online safety assurance Bill 2025, which sets clear and enforceable standards, bans social…

One of my first political experiences was canvassing in a block of flats in Dublin. As I walked up the stairwell in the block of flats, I noticed, first, a pair of women's tights on the stairwell. When I got higher, I noticed a discoloured spoon near the top of the stairwell and when I got to the very top, there was a 17-year-old boy lying on the ground, practically unconscious, foaming at the mou…

Those opposite do not like when I compare what is happening here with the place where they are in government. We are also taking an important step towards removing the means tests for our carers. A big move was made yesterday in that regard. This is something that everybody in the House supports. Concrete action was taken yesterday in relation to that. We are reducing the rate of VAT relating to…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this debate. The auto-enrolment scheme is very important. It will mean that Ireland will not longer be a laggard in the European Union. As Deputy Ó Cearúil said, many other countries have brought this in, some as far back as a decade ago. We are catching up. The introduction of this in the new year will see hundreds of thousands of people who are not on pen…

The EU studies have shown harm to reproductive health of people working in medical settings caused by nitrous oxide. These studies showed there is a decreased level of fertility in these workers. My fear is that people who are misusing nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, are taking much more concentrated doses than those who took part in these studies. There has also been a 175% increase in…

The GPO should be preserved for generations and should become a focal point, along with the preservation and restoration of nearby Moore Street. They should be part of a historical and cultural quarter of the city that respects the importance of the history of 1916. I do not know about the other Deputies, but I could not believe my ears when the Taoiseach spoke about putting first-class retail int…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I commend Deputy Ó Snodaigh, who has not just introduced this proposal but over the years has done great work, as has his family, to make sure the cultural and historical heritage of Ireland and this city is maintained and enhanced. In the course of this debate we think about the sacrifices of those who fought in the GPO and the fact that Pearse …

We also need to ensure that companies can no longer target children with vape shops and lovely beautiful colours-----

There are children who are walking the streets and teenagers purchasing vapes and HHC.

As the Minister said, the motion seeks to extend the provision for the consumption of alcohol in relevant outdoor seating as provided for in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act for another six months until the end of November. The Act introduced changes in the law to allow for the sale and consumption of alcohol in relevant outdoor seating areas where those outdoor seating areas had been …

I congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their new roles. I will begin by flagging a general concern I have. This is the second week in a row we have had general statements on healthcare. Last week we spent two and a half hours on statements on mental health. As a new TD I found it a very frustrating experience. Not a single question posed during the session was addressed in the closin…

I thank the Deputy for his inaugural comments in his new role as a TD for Wicklow-Wexford. I wish him well and look forward to working with him, being from the neighbouring constituency of Wicklow. He is right that the previous Government and our colleague, the former Minister, Stephen Donnelly, showed great leadership on the issue of vaping in bringing forward very important and progressive publi…