Results 61-80 of 1,083,733 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Patricia Ryan OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke OR speaker:Jackie Cahill OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív5 OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív57 OR speaker:Kathleen Funchion OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív58 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Seán Crowe) in 'Committee meetings'

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The HSE's position is not based around smoking versus vaping; it is about smoking versus not smoking through NRT.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That does not make sense in the real world. Is any other country taking this approach? It would be great if nobody smoked but the reality, unfortunately, is that lots of people still smoke and it does them damage. The Minister is saying that we know anecdotally that smokers who use vaping as a means of ceasing smoking, or at least reducing it, find it very beneficial. Is that something to...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: No, I heard and understand the Deputy's point. The public health view is not to encourage people to move from smoking to vaping.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is in an ideal world. Presumably, the public health view is not really to move from smoking to nicotine replacement; it is to stop smoking.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: That is its view.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: However, that is not easy to do.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I hear what the Deputy is saying. However, the public health position is to encourage smokers to move to not smoking by using NRT. The advice from the officials is that this is the approach, rather than vaping being an interim tool.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is overly purist. I do not understand that approach.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I ask that we confine discussion to the amendment that is before us.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: Does the Minister want to respond to Deputy Cullinane now or should I bring in another speaker?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I do not mind.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I think the point-----

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, it is different. The advice I have is that the UK and New Zealand have vaping as part of their smoking cessation policy, but that no other country does. The WHO is taking an increasingly hard line on vaping. My understanding is that is for two reasons: the first of which chimes with Deputy Hourigan's point that it is still highly addictive. The second is that the evidence is still...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, I agree with that, with the caveat that it is happening anyway, and there are a lot of different bits to it.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: My reason for raising this matter here today is that it is the only opportunity to hear from the Minister about his thinking. This measure will come in with the Finance Bill on Wednesday, as it is a provision of that Bill.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Is there any chance the Minister could send us a note on the rationale for it?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, of course. Absolutely.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I thank the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and his officials for attending today's meeting, and for the work that has been done on this matter.

Select Committee on Health: Message to Dáil (10 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: In accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Dáil: The Select Committee on Health has completed its consideration of the Public Health (Tobacco)(Amendment) Bill 2024 and has made no amendments thereto.