581. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17445/14]  

Minister for Health (Deputy James Reilly): As the Deputy will be aware, I received Government approval on 19 November 2013 to proceed with drafting the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2013. Standardised packaging, also known as plain or generic packaging, means that all forms of branding – trademarks, logos, colours and graphics – would be removed from retail tobacco packaging, except for the brand and variant names, which would be presented in a uniform typeface for all brands on the market. All packs would be in a plain neutral colour, except for the mandatory health warnings and the tax stamp. As the Deputy has mentioned, the General Scheme of the Bill was referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children after its publication in December 2013. The Committee was requested to review the Scheme and report to me on its findings. The Committee issued a call for submissions on the Scheme and held a series of public hearings on the matter which concluded on 13 February 2014. Following its deliberations, the Committee published its report on the 3 April 2014. The Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill has been scheduled for inclusion on the legislative programme for Spring/Summer 2014. I can confirm that a transitional period will be provided for in the legislation, for administrative matters and to permit the manufacture of compliant products. The specific transitional timeframes will be determined during the final drafting process.