I am advised by the majority of the bodies under the aegis of my Department that they do not hold investments in tobacco companies.
I have been advised by the Central Bank of Ireland that the Bank does not invest directly in any debt (bonds) or equity (shares) issued by tobacco companies, either in the management of the investment reserves or the pension fund. The Bank has informed me that all external investment managers that manage investment funds for the Bank's pension fund are required to be signatories of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. However, this does not preclude the funds from having small exposures to tobacco companies e.g. as part of a passive equity index fund. An exact exposure would take some time to confirm, but a reasonable preliminary estimate would be less than €1.5million i.e. <0.01%.
I am advised that this is also the case for other funds maintained by the Bank e.g. ICCL, Deposit Guarantee Scheme etc.
The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) has advised me that as of 30th September 2016, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) had equity holdings in three tobacco companies with a value of €1.5m or 0.02% of its total assets. Such investments should be considered in the context of ISIF's broader portfolio and the Fund's commitment to responsible investment. ISIF operates to high international standards and it recently published a Sustainability and Responsible Investment Policy. In relation to investments in tobacco companies through its pension or other investments funds I will write directly to the Deputy in respect of this aspect of the question as the material in respect of the NTMA has not been made available in the time to provide a complete response.
