asked the Minister for Health the amount spent on the anti-cigarette smoking campaign since its inception.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Anti-Cigarette Smoking Campaign.
5.
The total amount spent by my Department on anti-cigarette smoking publicity is £110,000. This covers the period 1970-71 to date.
Is the Minister satisfied that enough money is being spent on the anti-cigarette smoking campaign? I would like to see much stronger advertising. I do not think we are getting across to the public the number of deaths that have occured from lung cancer, bronchitis and coronary thrombosis due to smoking. Perhaps the Minister would have a word with his colleague, the Minister for Finance, with a view to introducing taxation which would discourage cigarette smoking and get people to change to pipe smoking and cigars?
In replies I have given I have made it clear that most of the action must take place in relation to young people to prevent them from starting to smoke. Action to stop adults from smoking has virtually failed in the US where the consumption of cigarettes, having fallen shortly after television advertising of cigarettes was prohibited, is now mounting and is above the figure it was before the television advertising stopped. We are spending all the money we can afford and all the money that could be usefully spent in approaches to younger people asking them not to smoke on the grounds that they will enjoy better health. That is the main nature of the campaign.