I welcome Mr. Eamon Corcoran, principal officer at the Department of Health and Children, who will brief the joint committee on the proposed motion regarding the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Presentation.
Mr. Eamon Corcoran
By way of general background, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is a World Health Organisation initiative in response to the global epidemic of tobacco addiction. It is the first binding international treaty that provides an agreed approach to tobacco control globally to protect public health and reduce deaths from tobacco related illness. Currently, approximately 7,000 people per annum die in Ireland due to tobacco related illness, while 500,000 people per annum die in the European Union.
The convention's origins lie in the 52nd World Health Assembly — the governing body of the World Health Organisation — which opened the way for multilateral negotiations on tobacco control. It established two bodies, namely, a technical working group which drafted papers and an intergovernmental negotiating body, INB, to further the detailed considerations and to submit a final text to the World Health Assembly held in May 2003. Six meetings of the INB took place and Ireland participated in all sessions. The draft text was adopted in February 2003 and was subsequently adopted at the World Health Assembly in May that year.
I understand copies of the convention have been circulated to members. It addresses all aspects of tobacco control, including traditional health interventions such as control of advertising, sponsorship bans, passive smoking and retail licensing. It also addresses economic and trade issues including taxation policy, international trade and smuggling. Other areas include product specification and issues of compensation and liability. The convention was laid before the Dáil on 15 April.
In general, Ireland was a strong advocate of the framework convention during the negotiating process. The previous and current Ministers for Health and Children have made tobacco control a health priority and we worked effectively during the negotiation process within the EU group. The convention has been signed and it is proposed to ratify it very shortly. To date, there have been 168 signatories, including Ireland, and 97 countries have ratified the convention.
The convention provides for a conference of the parties, COP, which is to be held in February 2006. This is essentially a business, rather than a policy-forming body. It will deal with the technical, procedural and financial issues relating to the convention's implementation. These include the establishment of a permanent secretariat and financial aspects such as monitoring and reporting on implementation progress.
Has this matter been referred to this committee by Dáil Éireann?
No, it has not. I was asked by the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Seán Power, to have the committee members briefed which, in terms of protocol, is the expected procedure. That is the only purpose of this meeting.
What happened? Did we not get the dates right?
I do not know.
Did the Chairman forget about it?
A motion has been tabled today to refer this matter to Dáil Éireann.
Yes.
Will the joint committee debate the issue before its referral?
We will not debate it.
Why was it only discovered yesterday that this would happen today? Presumably, someone forgot to do it.
Mr. Corcoran
I was involved in the arrangements for today's meeting to the extent that I was kept informed as to what was happening. However, I was not involved in making the arrangements, which were carried out through the Minister's office.
Does Mr. Corcoran mean this morning's meeting?
Mr. Corcoran
Yes.
I am not talking about this meeting but about the referral to the Dáil. Yesterday, the Whips did not know anything about it. While Mr. Corcoran may not be the correct person to ask, clearly someone slipped up.
Mr. Corcoran
I believe the intention was to ratify the convention this year and following representations to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, it was decided to ratify it sooner rather than later. The process is under way. Essentially, I am the tobacco control unit. However, I am also responsible for food, medicines and environmental health. Two other people work in the unit, which consequently is very busy and work must be prioritised. The priority for this task was changed and it was brought forward.
I understand this item was introduced yesterday to be dealt with today. The Whips were informed yesterday that this would be taken today and that it would be necessary to complete it this week. There was a deadline for ratification of the convention.
We would be unable to ratify the convention if it were not completed today.
Mr. Corcoran
No, we would be able to ratify it but we would be unable to attend the conference of parties.
Will the conference take place in February 2006?
Mr. Corcoran
Yes, it will take place in Geneva.
We are not here to pre-empt any Dáil debate; we are speaking purely as a committee.
There will be no debate on the matter in the Dáil. It is being done without a debate.
The aim is to inform the committee. Are members happy with this?
It is strange that such an important matter was dropped in our laps yesterday. Why was the convention not ratified in September? There have obviously been ongoing discussions since 2003.
The international debate on the convention is as important as the national debate on the ban on smoking in the workplace but we only have one day to address it. It is going through the Dáil without debate and is being debated here before it is referred to the Dáil.
As that would allow smoking back in again, we will move on.
Mr. Corcoran's role was to brief us and we have no complaints in this regard but this committee is the only body left in the health service with any accountability. Presenting us with a fait accompli is unsatisfactory. The Whips only found out about it last night. Somebody has not overseen matters to ensure there was sufficient scrutiny, which is unsatisfactory. This problem will increase as accountability is stripped from the health service. This is the kind of sloppiness we will be forced to contend with, which is extremely disturbing.
Any question we table about it will be referred to the Health Service Executive and it is anybody's guess as to when we will receive an answer.
Is it true that health promotion will effectively be removed from the Department of Health and Children?
Mr. Corcoran
That is my understanding but I do not deal with the health promotion aspects of tobacco control. This is the responsibility of a colleague.
Since Mr. Corcoran is present and we have so few opportunities to put questions to anyone, could he tell us what is happening in the area of health promotion, as he understands it?
Mr. Corcoran
Subject to the caveat that I am not directly involved in health promotion, I understand the current health promotion functions within the Department will be transferred to the Health Service Executive early next year.
Will the Department become nothing more than the Tánaiste and the Office of the Minister for Health and Children?
Mr. Corcoran
No, the Department will have an important role in the financing and monitoring of the health services.
Article 23 of the convention provides for a conference of parties to be held in February and that ratification is necessary to allow full participation. Could Ireland still participate in this conference if it did not ratify the convention? Is it the case that Ireland could attend the meeting in Geneva but would not have full participation? Is there any difference between full participation and attending the conference?
Mr. Corcoran
Ireland would attend as an observer and the arrangements under which observers will be admitted have not been finalised. The difference between full participation and attending as an observer is that it would be preferable to attend the conference of the parties as of right rather than as an observer.
It would still be possible to ratify the convention for some time to come. The decision to seek to ratify the convention in advance or in the next short period was made in the context of the upcoming conference of the parties. There would be no difficulty in ratifying the convention at a later date.
I thank Mr. Corcoran for his attendance.
I would have assumed that health promotion was part of policy, which is within the remit of the Department of Health and Children. Could the committee write to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children to inquire about the reasons for removing health promotion from the Department? I am surprised by this development and by the very hands-on approach to policy taken by Professor Drumm. Much of what he says makes good sense but the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children stated that she would be responsible for policy and that Professor Drumm and the Health Service Executive would be responsible for management. These two roles are becoming blurred. The Department of Health and Children has the central role in the area of health promotion, which is crucial to the health service. We need an explanation why this change is being made. I would also like an update regarding the invitations the committee issued.
We will examine the responses from Professor Drumm and the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children before our next meeting.
The joint committee adjourned at 10.25 a.m. until 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, 10 November 2005.