Like my colleague, I am a former smoker but I am a vaper. That being said, the Bill has a somewhat piecemeal approach to vaping. We need a comprehensive public health response to vaping and nicotine. This is the third Bill on smoking in the past three years and there is at least another one on the way. Sinn Féin fully supports a ban on single-use vapes. We sought a similar ban for a number of years. A 2024 study by TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland found that one in 20 young people uses nicotine pouches and one in ten has tried them. However, the Bill only targets products that are already being phased out. The Government needs to get ahead of the curve and introduce health legislation that is proactive rather than reactive. The Minister for Health needs to introduce modern and comprehensive legislation on vaping. Single-use and short life vapes are highly wasteful, and contribute to our litter problems and impact on the environment. In 2024, 25 tonnes of e-cigarette and vape devices were collected for recycling in Ireland, equating to over 1.1 million devices. I have no doubt that there was an increase last year. The contents of a disposable vape include plastic, nicotine salts, heavy metals and flammable lithium ion batteries which all leak into our water and soil. Like cigarette butts, e-cigarette waste is not biodegradable even under the most severe conditions. Single-use vapes discarded on our streets eventually break down into microplastics and chemicals that pose a threat to the environment. The biggest issue is that vapes are targeted specifically at our young people. Before 2021, the only widely available disposable vapes were cigarette-like e-cigarettes targeted at those aged over 35 and those trying to give up smoking. The newer disposable vape brands are designed to be far more aesthetically pleasing and sexier looking. They target our younger people and are appealing and trendy. The HSE describes disposable vapes as becoming popular in Ireland, in particular with young people. Some of the most common brands include names like Lost Mary, Elf Bar and Vuse. They all clearly target our young people who may be averse to smoking cigarettes. Vapes lure them in with flavours, colours and names. The HSE has confirmed that children and young people who vape are more likely to be addicted to nicotine, develop mood disorders and find it hard to control their impulses. Sinn Féin wants a comprehensive public health led approach to vaping. It may be less harmful than cigarettes, but that does not mean it is harm free. We are open to better regulations for vaping and in line with tobacco that would include restricted flavourings and packages, especially those targeting our young people. We need to get this policy right. It needs to be balanced so that vaping is not made as expensive as smoking or penalised in the same way. I know a number of people who have spoken about going back to smoking cigarettes because of the impact of the budget. That has had a huge impact. The Bill needs to be part of a wider proactive public health response to vaping and nicotine products.

Sentiment score: 0.01