548. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the growing trend of disposable e-cigarette use among teenagers; the measures that his Department and the HSE will implement to ensure that these products comply with all relevant regulatory requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47136/22]

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly: The most recent data on the use of electronic cigarettes among young people is from the European Schools Project on Alcohol and other Drugs 2019 report. Almost 2,000 Irish students aged 15 and 16 years completed the survey in 2019 and it found that 39% of students reported having ever used an e-cigarette with 16% of these reporting using one in the last 30 days.

The Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill which is currently being drafted will prohibit the sale of nicotine inhaling products including disposable e-cigarettes to, and by, persons under 18 years of age. It will also require that any retailer of e-cigarettes must have a licence which must be renewed annually. These measures together are likely to reduce the availability of e-cigarettes to young people.

The main legislation currently regulating e-cigarettes in Ireland is the EU Tobacco Products Directive which was transposed into Irish law by the EU (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco and Related Products) Regulations 2016. The Directive regulates e-cigarette devices, the ingredients of e-cigarettes, the packaging in which e-cigarettes are sold and the marketing of the product. Responsibility for the enforcement of this legislation sits with the Environmental Health Service of the HSE. The Tobacco Products Directive is currently being reviewed as part of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and discussions to date indicate a strengthening of the Directive in relation to e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products.

[See also, related debate: 11 May 2023]