Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
1823. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Health the impact of tobacco plain packaging on levels of smoking and the health benefits resulting from that policy; and the estimated number of lives that are saved per year as a result of the policy. [19063/21]
View answerIn September 2017 Ireland became the fourth country in the world to introduce plain packaging for all tobacco products. From September 2018 all tobacco products sold in Ireland must have a standardised plain packaging with the brand name in the correct font size and colour, and prominent standardised health warnings about the dangerous effects of smoking. These measures were introduced to reduce the appeal of tobacco products to both current and potential users and to remove a source of advertising and visibility for tobacco brands. The legislation also increased the prominence of health warnings and prevented packaging from misleading consumers about the harmful effects of tobacco.
The two most recent Healthy Ireland surveys in 2018 and 2019 asked participants their opinions on tobacco packaging. 73% of those surveyed in 2019 approved of plain packaging with 63% of smokers voicing their approval. In terms of the impact of the measure on smokers’ desire to quit, in 2019 25% of smokers said that the health warnings on packs increased their motivation to quit.
The introduction of plain packaging is one of a large number of tobacco control measures that have been introduced with the objective of reducing smoking prevalence in Ireland; other measures include the workplace smoking ban, a ban on point of sale display and advertising of tobacco products, a ban on smoking in cars where children are present, the ongoing development of cessation services and annual excise duty increases on tobacco products.
While it is not always possible to quantify the impact of a single measure on smoking prevalence we can say that, combined, these measures have contributed to a decline in the number of people who smoke from 29% of the population in 2009 to 17% in 2019. Between 2015 and 2019 there was a 6% fall in smoking prevalence resulting in 165000 fewer smokers.
