13/08/2014

Govt Committed To Plain Cigarette Packaging - FG

The government is determined to proceed with the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014, Fine Gael Cork North Central Senator, Colm Burke, has said.

His comments follow revelations that some German politicians and lobby groups had been exerting pressure on the Irish Government to deter them from introducing plain packaging on cigarettes, as they feared it would damage the Irish economic recovery in some way.

Senator Burke said: "The Government will undoubtedly proceed with the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014; it has already gone through the Second Stage in the Seanad.

"Tobacco smoking is the greatest single cause of preventable illness and premature death in Ireland, killing over 5,200 people a year. It has been estimated that approximately €500 million of health expenditure in Ireland is directly due to smoking related diseases. Smoking in Ireland is an issue that we need to tackle and I am confident that this legislation will be effective in reducing the number of people smoking in this country."

Ireland will be the first country in the European Union to introduce plain packaging on cigarettes, and the third country worldwide.

(MH/IT)

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