I welcome the visitors from the different organisations, particularly Ms O'Meara, a former colleague. I listened with interest to the discussion and agree with what Deputy O'Shea said. Most of the organisations represented are anti-smoking. Those organisation, including the organisation representing the retail sector, are anti-smuggling. Tobacco smuggling poses a serious challenge for us as an island nation, a point to which Ms O'Meara alluded. The State has deployed considerable resources in this area. The Office of Tobacco Control was created, the law has been amended and powers have been equalised, particularly among the Garda Síochána, Customs and Excise and the military. They have the same powers when they are in a position to chase or pursue people they believe are engaging in illegal activities. That has been provided for in the Customs and Excise (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, which has been in force for a long time.
We have the necessary resources within the State to deal with this issue. It is a matter of ensuring those resources are deployed in an omnibus fashion by the Garda Síochána, Customs and Excise and with military support, if necessary, although that would be using the extreme end of scale to deal with this matter.
We all travel on motorways and on the main roads. Some of us have been known to have been on those roads for particular reasons. I have seen, particularly during road developments in the west in recent years, series omnibus operations deployed by the State agencies to deal with a different type quasi illegal activities against hard-working decent people. These people have been apprehended and some have received serious convictions while others have received minor convictions and perhaps they may have been easy targets.
This issue can be addressed in a number of areas, legislation being one of them. It is important to take account of the fact that we have particular laws in this area. For example, the Carriage of Goods Act makes it mandatory for people to have proper insurance to carry goods. The Insurance Acts make it mandatory for those who are driving mechanically propelled vehicles to have proper insurance for those vehicles, a point to which Deputy Flanagan alluded. Class 1 insurance covers a private vehicle and Class 2 insurance covers the use of a vehicle for the carriage of goods. The law in this area must be examined to ensure serious penalties can be imposed on people who use vehicles for illegal purposes for the illegal purveying and conveying of products. That is one of the area we must examine.
We must also address this problem from an international perspective. There has never been better co-operation between the police on this island, North and South. The co-operation between the new PSNI led by chief constable Matt Baggott and the Garda Síochána led by Commissioner Murphy is excellent. The fact that we have a frontier with Northern Ireland is a major problem in this respect, of that there is no doubt. We must examine what can be done to tighten control there in co-operation with Customs and Excise to make sure action is taken to minimise the activity there.
We may also have to address this issue from a European perspective, in terms of Europol and the European Union. The Union has deployed various border controls in border control offices in different parts of the Union. In addressing this issue perhaps we could seek support from the Union to ascertain if such a measure would be necessary on our frontier with Northern Ireland. European resources may be available that would allow us to track, identify and apprehend these people in a much quicker fashion.
We must also ensure that we use the resources of Interpol. The Garda has been doing that quite well, but the resources of Europol and Interpol should be used to track the criminals involved in this activity across the world. A number of claims have been pursued by smokers in the United States against various tobacco manufacturers, some quite successfully. Consideration was given to that here and a number of people initiated claims, but they did not advance far.
We all have a serious responsibility. The State cannot operate a police or military state. Everybody is responsible in this matter as the State can only do so much. We need evidence and intelligence information to ensure State agencies are alerted to the situation on a consistent basis. However, the law must be updated to ensure that young people cannot be the gullible victims by being deployed to make vast profits for criminals who are involved in illegal activities to the detriment of the Exchequer and the health of the population. This is a serious issue. I respectfully suggest that the committee refer this matter to the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Transport and Finance to have the law reviewed and ask them to raise this issue at the relevant EU Councils so there can be a European wide partnership to minimise this problem and, if possible, eliminate it. However, it is a serious challenge.