Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 24 Feb 2000

Vol. 515 No. 2

Written Answers. - Tobacco Industry.

Alan Shatter

Question:

129 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children if each of the tobacco companies who sell cigarettes have furnished to his Department the comprehensive information sought from each of them concerning the ingredients and constituents of each of their cigarette products; and the further action, if any, he will take to obtain the information sought or prosecute those companies who are in violation of their obligation of disclosure under tobacco legislation. [5594/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

On 16 June 1998 my Department requested disclosure of information from tobacco companies under section 5 of the Tobacco (Health Promotion and Protection) Act, 1988 on the constituents of tobacco products and of the amount of such constituents used in all the brands of tobacco products manufactured or imported. Several reminders were sent to the companies. Officials met the director of the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee on 13 August and on 30 November 1998. On 22 December 1998 a submission was made by a solicitor on behalf of the ITMAC companies. It was pointed out by the industry representative that there were omissions in the data supplied. The industry failed to rectify the omissions for some time.

The quality of the data supplied and the manner in which it was aggregated meant that the information was of no material use from a public health perspective. This fact was brought to the companies attention at a meeting on 13 October 1999. Since that meeting further disclosures have been made. In particular one company Gallahers have now provided information in a satisfactory format and my officials have been assured at a meeting on 8 February with the director of ITMAC that the other companies intend to provide the same level of disclosure shortly.

Alan Shatter

Question:

130 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the response sent by him to the letter of 24 November 1999 which he received from a company (details supplied); and if there has been any misunderstanding or mismatch between the expectations of his Department concerning the disclosure of the constituents of tobacco products and the company's understanding of the position. [5595/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The offer made by Gallahers on 24 November 1999 to provide representatives of my Department with a presentation concerning the use of constituents in cigarettes has not been taken up by my Department. This was a time when the company had not yet supplied in a meaningful format the information requested from it on constituents in their tobacco products.

In a letter of 13 January to the director of the Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee, which represents Gallahers, Players and Carrolls, it was made clear to the industry that the Tobacco (Health Promotion and Protection) Act, 1988 requires each manufacturer to supply a list of ingredients in their products when so requested. Furthermore, it was pointed out that supplying information by broad categorisations of ingredients does not provide any meaningful information.

As far as I am concerned there was no misunderstanding on what information was being sought from the company on the constituents used in their tobacco products.

Gallahers submitted to my Department on 4 February the information on constituents in their tobacco products in the format originally sought from the company.