Vol. 538 No. 3
223 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children when he proposes to ban cigarette vending machines; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that operators will have to make a major investment for the introduction of the euro; and if such a ban will therefore be introduced prior to the introduction of the new currency. [17852/01]
About 15% of cigarette sales are made from vending machines. I am concerned over the unrestricted access to cigarettes from vending machines by underage persons. About 80% of all smokers become addicted before reaching 16 years of age. On average smokers who begin smoking in adolescence and continue to smoke regularly have a 50% chance of dying from tobacco related illnesses.
Many cigarette vending machines are located in areas in premises, often out of sight of staff, where there is no form of supervision. This is unacceptable from a public health perspective. There is a need to control and restrict access to cigarette vending machines and ensure that they are suitably located on premises under direct supervision of staff. I will be addressing this problem in the new public health and tobacco Bill currently being drafted and which I hope to be in a position to publish shortly. My concerns over access to cigarette machines by underage persons and the need for tighter controls in this area have been made clear to the representative body of the cigarette machine operators. It is not possible to indicate precisely when the new restrictions in this area will be introduced.
