Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) (Smokefree Generation) Bill 2026: First Stage

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 to 2024 to prohibit the sale and supply of tobacco products, nicotine products and nicotine inhalation products to persons born on or after 1 January 2009; to provide for related offences, enforcement and penalties; and to provide for related matters. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this. The purpose of this Bill is to amend the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 to 2024 to introduce smoke-free generation measures, whereby the sale and supply of tobacco products, nicotine products and nicotine inhalation products will be prohibited to persons born on or after the 1 January 2019, those who turn 18 on or after 1 January 2027. The idea behind this measure is that it will provide a rolling age restriction, ensuring that the specified cohort will never be legally permitted to purchase some of these products over their lifetime. We know that about 100 people in Ireland die every week from nicotine-related illnesses and about 1,000 people are hospitalised every week. The major causes, as we know, are cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, and heart disease. The RCSI in estimating the costs of smoking has calculated that in Ireland there are about 5 million years in shorter lives as a result of smoking, 2.5 million years in productivity lost and the net cost to our healthcare system is €20.2 billion. Even in pure economic terms, being able to address this issue is critical. This legislation has strong support from organisations such as the Irish Cancer Society, the Irish Heart Foundation and many medics operating in this area. I am very grateful for their support and for the engagement that I have had with them over the past number of months in the preparation of this legislation. I also know that many youth groups and organisations support this. FDYS in Wexford raised a lot of awareness about the dangers of vapes to young people. Comhairle na nÓg right around the country, including in Wexford, Donegal, Mayo and Kerry, as well as at a national level have expressed continued concern that in many ways we are losing the battle against nicotine. As the Taoiseach rightly pointed out recently, a lot of these nicotine and tobacco companies are now using vaping as their way to create a new generation of addicts. We should be rightly proud in this country of the leadership shown by the Taoiseach when he was Minister for health when he led the ban on smoking in the workplace over a quarter of a century ago. Recently the Minister of State, Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, has made some very positive moves in restricting flavoured vapes and the fancy packaging which are very deliberately targeted at young people. However, we need to go further. As Members will know, similar legislation is being considered in New Zealand in the UK. I have yet to meet an older person who is a smoker who has ever said that they were glad that they took it up. They regret having started. I am not saying this will be the silver bullet that will solve all the problems that are there. There will still be the challenge with the black market and the challenge of big tobacco seeking every way to find to find loopholes. However, I believe it sends a very clear message that we want to encourage a smoke-free generation. We want to ensure that more people will not suffer from cancer, COPD, and heart and lung diseases. We want to keep people out of hospitals as a result of nicotine and tobacco. The Bill is a relatively simple Bill. I am glad the Taoiseach has said that he will be considering matters in this regard. I hope that Ireland can once again provide leadership in this space and that the Government will take on board the proposals in this smoke-free generation Bill and that we would move to a situation whereby the sale or supply of tobacco, nicotine, nicotine-inhaling products or any nicotine product intended for consumption, including nicotine patches, will be prohibited so that anybody who is born on or after 1 January 2009 will be free from those products.

No.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."