3227. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost to the health service of tobacco and nicotine related illnesses each year. [60703/26]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Minister for Health: There is currently limited evidence regarding illnesses caused by nicotine in isolation, and nicotine in the form of licensed nicotine replacement therapies is a safe and effective medicine for people who smoke and are trying to quit.

Evidence on the harms and health costs of non-medicinal nicotine products varies by product.

The most widely-used and most harmful product is tobacco. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in Ireland. Around 100 people die and 1000 are hospitalised every single week due to smoking-related illness. Smoking-related deaths are mainly due to cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and heart disease. The cost to society from smoking due to healthcare costs, welfare and loss of productivity were estimated to be in excess of €10 billion per year in 2016.

A recent study by researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences funded by the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme calculates that the current smoking population in Ireland will lose almost 5 million years of life and 2.5 million years of productivity, leading to healthcare costs of around €20.2 billion.

It is therefore the Government’s objective under the Tobacco Free Ireland policy to effectively eliminate smoking across society.

There is less evidence on the long-term health impacts of other products such e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, and it is not possible to quantify possible health costs from these products. The current evidence suggests that they are likely to be less harmful than tobacco, but are not harmless.

Children and young people are particularly susceptible to harm from these products. According to a recent report by the Royal College of Physicians Ireland, "Time for a Tobacco Free Future", this includes nicotine addiction, respiratory system effects, and impacts on mental health. However, the greatest risk is the association between use of these products by adolescents and subsequent smoking.

In this context, the Tobacco Free Ireland policy is currently being reviewed. It will set out a pathway to end the epidemic of tobacco-related harm in Ireland, and continue to strengthen the protection of children and young people from nicotine.