Senator Micheál Carrigy: The Minister of State is very welcome. This matter is with regard to the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill. I thank Grace Kearney from the Bridgeway Family Resource Centre in Ballymahon whom I met recently on a visit to Ballymahon Vocational School. She highlighted this serious issue and the epidemic among children as young as 12 years of age who vape on a regular basis. It is seen as cool. The reality is that teenagers do not know what they are putting into their bodies. It is seen as cheap, accessible and acceptable in society. Many parents allow the activity unaware of the consequences or unaware that their children are vaping. People can hide the fact they are vaping due to the fact the smoke disappears. The smells and the tastes are like bonbons in a shop with flavours such as mango, bubblegum and strawberry. There are 40 or 50 different versions.

People can buy disposable vapes for as little as €5. These can give up to 10 to 20 mg of nicotine. People can buy vapes with up to 50 mg, which is the equivalent of 50 cigarettes. Some children are inhaling these to get a buzz instead of using drugs. This is what they can do apart from putting nicotine into their system. I have heard stories of shops delivering these products to children at certain venues such are the profits that can be made from them.

What is this doing to the health of our children? What is it doing to their lungs? Children are pulling out of sports because of the reduction in their fitness. They are not fit to play football or take part in sport because of this. We need to license these products properly as we do with cigarettes. We need to introduce a ban on the use of vaping in sports grounds. The reality is that it is cheap and cool and people are uneducated about it. We need strong robust legislation to help us police it. We need this immediately prior to the summer recess.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson: I thank Senator Carrigy for sharing time with me on this very important issue. As we are aware, these shops are springing up all over our towns. They are located in prime locations with very expensive rents. They seem to be open on a daily basis. I have never come across a shop that just sells cigarettes because it would not be financially viable to do so. Something needs to be done on the regulation of these shops. I am aware that the committee on health has had a number of pre-legislative scrutiny discussions regarding the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill.

We must try to strike a balance between the potential benefits of e-cigarettes for adult smokers trying to quit and the risks that more non-smokers, particularly children and especially young children, will start vaping.

[Click here for full Debate]