Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is today welcoming the completion of the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill in both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill will now be sent to Uachtarán na hÉireann for signing. Minister Donnelly has asked officials in his department to immediately prepare the necessary Statutory Instrument so that the ban on the sale of nicotine inhaling products, including e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’ to under-18s will come into law before Christmas.

The Minister for Health said: "I am delighted that this Bill has passed all stages in both Houses of the Oireachtas. It will now go to the President for signing and we are on track to ensure that our ban on the sale of nicotine inhaling products, including e-cigarettes, to minors will be in place before Christmas. "Our public consultation on the further regulation of e-cigarettes was launched on 25 November 2023. We are seeking views on a point-of-sale ban, on packaging, on flavours and other interventions to decrease the appeal of e-cigarettes for our children. I look forward to the results of the consultation and to taking further action to protect the health of our children."

• Along with prohibiting the sale of nicotine inhaling products to under 18s the current Bill will:
• prohibit the sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products at events for children
• prohibit the self-service sale (vending machines) of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products
• introduce a strict licensing system for the retail sale of tobacco products and nicotine inhaling products
• prohibit the advertising of nicotine inhaling products around schools and on public transport
• provide additional enforcement powers to the Environmental Health Service for measures in the Bill and for all previous Tobacco Control Acts

Notes
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, and Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy, Hildegarde Naughton launched a public consultation on 25 November 2023 to help inform future regulation of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products such as e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’. The consultation is open until 5 January 2024. Vaping has become more popular in recent years, particularly among young people. Compared to cigarettes, vaping may be less harmful, but vaping is not harm free. Most vaping liquids contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance. This consultation looks at what additional measures could be introduced to decrease the appeal of nicotine inhaling products to children and young people and further denormalise smoking and improve public health.

The areas where views are being sought include:

• the display of nicotine inhaling products in shops
• nicotine inhaling product flavours
• the appearance of nicotine inhaling products
• proxy sales of tobacco and nicotine inhaling products
• smoking in outdoor dining areas
• extending smoke free restrictions to vaping
• increasing the age of sale for tobacco products
• increasing the price of vapes