I move amendment No. 1:
In page 23, line 16, after "period of", to insert "up to".
It is only five minutes since I made my case so I will not repeat it.
Public Health (Tobacco) Bill, 2001: Report and Final Stages.
I understand this was debated in full with the Minister on Report Stage in the Dáil. It was also taken up with the Office of Tobacco Control, which feels it would be a deterrent. I take on board everything Senator Quinn has said, but the sale of cigarettes and tobacco is not the major part of most people's business. The provision is designed only to take on the deliberate rogue traders and, because it would come into force only as result of a conviction in the courts, the Minister is very anxious to keep it to three months.
I regret the Minister's decision. The amendment is an effort to improve the Bill and make sure it actually worked. I was hopeful it might have been accepted. It is the intention that when a conviction occurs the full force of the law will be used and that it will work.
Amendment put and declared lost.
Bill received for final consideration.
Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."
I congratulate the Minister on the Bill. Those of us who recognise the damage tobacco does to the health of the nation and who are shaken every time we walk into a room and discover teenagers continuing to smoke, despite all the bad publiciity, hope this Bill will achieve many of its objectives. I learnt last night that the proportion of people smoking has come down to something like 30% from 38% but we will not be happy until it has come to tiny figures, and I wish the Minister well in this.
I congratulate the Minister on this very important Bill. The whole culture with regard to smoking has changed over the last ten to 15 years. In the past we had smoke-filled rooms and smoke-filled cars where people would light up without asking permission or wondering about the consequences for the company they were in, but that culture has to a great extent changed and this Bill will, in legislative terms, go a long way towards accelerating that process.
I compliment the Minister and her officials on this excellent legislation. As one who never smoked it might be claimed I have a professional interest in ensuring nobody else smokes, but it is great to see the improvements that have taken place on this issue. People now tend to ask others whether they mind if they smoke, which is a move in the right direction. This Bill will aid this process substantially to ensure that fewer people will take up smoking and that there will be a healthier environment for people who in the past had to tolerate many people smoking in confined areas. Other people must also make efforts in relation to ventilation of premises to improve the areas frequented by people who do not wish to inhale smoke.
I likewise compliment the Minister and her officials on this good legislation. Tobacco use has been one of the great killers of our time and has contributed enormously to the ill health of the nation. The firm steps being taken in this legislation are extremely important in trying to reduce the use of this drug.
Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí as ucht an díospóireacht a bhí againn ar an mBille seo. It is important legislation. It is a step towards the tobacco free society we all aspire to. However, it is just one step. We need to change not just our laws but also our attitudes and behaviour. The steps that have been taken in recent years, which have shown a reduction in the number of smokers in Ireland from 43% to 30% in just 30 years, indicate the progress that can be made. This legislation will help further in our work of preventing young people from starting to smoke, to stop the exploitation of people by unscrupulous companies and to support those people who want to quit. It will benefit wider society. The Seanad has made a major contribution to these efforts in passing this Bill today. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Martin, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil.
Question put and agreed to.