Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 March 2014
387. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that a regulatory impact analysis was conducted by the tobacco policy review group as part of the process leading to the publication of the tobacco free Ireland report. [10782/14]
View answer388. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if a decision to adopt the tobacco free Ireland report as Government policy at Cabinet on 19 November, 2013, was assisted by having viewed and approved the regulatory impact analysis that accompanied the report. [10783/14]
View answer389. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if he will agree to publish the regulatory impact analysis from the tobacco policy review group. [10784/14]
View answer465. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm that his Department's tobacco policy review group conducted a regulatory impact assessment during their deliberations on various legislative changes that are recommended in the tobacco free Ireland report presented to him on 3 October 2013; if will confirm if he has seen this RIA; if he is satisfied that all the recommendations in the report that require legislation to give effect to such recommendations have been the subject of scrutiny as per RIA guidelines; if he will confirm that he is satisfied that all the recommendations have been the subject of scrutiny as per RIA guidelines; if he will confirm that he provided to each of his Cabinet colleagues copies of the RIA in advance of the adoption as Government policy in November of the TPRG Report Tobacco Free Ireland; if he will publish the RIA costings analysis as conducted by his tobacco policy review group that accompanied the recommendation to introduce the retail licensing of tobacco products, a recommendation that has led to a Bill of the same name and noted within Schedule C of the Government legislative programme. [10785/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 387 to 389, inclusive, and 465 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, there is no requirement to carry out a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) as part of the policy development process, or in order to make policy recommendations. The Revised RIA Guidelines published by the Department of the Taoiseach in 2009 makes it clear that RIA applies only to Policy Review Groups established to bring forward proposals for legislation.
Following on from Towards a Tobacco Free Society, which was adopted as Government policy in 2000, the Department of Health initiated a review to identify what further policy proposals might be introduced to continue to reduce the prevalence and initiation of smoking in Ireland. The review was completed by the Tobacco Policy Review Group in the context of other initiatives already implemented with regard to reducing the prevalence of tobacco use. The terms of reference of the review were:
(a) To examine Irish and international evidence and experience of effective measures and programmes to reduce smoking prevalence; and
(b) To make policy proposals to the Minister aimed at reducing smoking initiation and prevalence.
Following consultation with relevant Government Departments the Report of the Tobacco Policy Review Group, Tobacco Free Ireland was submitted to Government for approval in July 2013 and formally launched in October 2013. There are 63 recommendations contained in Tobacco Free Ireland. Some of these relate to the future development of legislation. Each legislative proposal in the report will require future Government approval.
Tobacco Free Ireland sets out recommendations for the future regulation of the tobacco retail environment. The Government proposes to increase the Retail Register fee during 2014, in the context of legislation to provide for the licensing of the sale of tobacco products as outlined in Tobacco Free Ireland. Work is ongoing in relation to this legislation, and as such details are not yet available. In line with the Regulatory Impact Assessment Guidelines (RIA) published by the Department of the Taoiseach, my Department will undertake a Regulatory Impact Analysis on the proposed legislation in due course.
