It is a great start to the new year for me to be here in the Chamber addressing an Aire Stáit, another strong female TD from Carlow. Go raibh maith agat. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, for the work she is doing for the young people in Carlow and Kilkenny. Thank you once again. Speaking as a parent first and foremost I am alarmed at the increase in the sale of vaping products among our young people. I welcome the new legislation being brought forward by the Minister of State, which is coming online next month. It will mean that a premises must now have a licence to sell vapes. It is long overdue. While 7% of adults report regularly vaping, this number is dwarfed by the 13% of children between the ages of 12 and 17 who say they now vape regularly. Of those who vape, the majority of children report that their vapes of choice are single-use disposable vapes. Having begun as a means of helping smokers to quit, vaping has unfortunately become an addiction in its own right with health consequences that we do not firmly understand yet. I am of the strong belief that we have a responsibility to help prevent our young people becoming the nicotine industry's test subjects. As a result, I firmly support the measures contained in this Bill. While we do not yet know the long-term consequences of consistent vaping among our young people, what we do know about the short-term effects should be enough to argue the case. Nicotine dependence, sleep problems, mental health difficulties, damage to the lungs, heart and blood vessels and exposure to toxins are just some of the adverse effects that consistent use of vape products are known to cause in young people. According to the HSE, even nicotine-free vapes carry risks. Vape liquid that does not contain nicotine often contains other more harmful chemicals such as colours and flavourings that can be harmful when inhaled. That is the key point here. Any product that causes such blatant health concerns is clearly inappropriate for young people. Yet, vape products are brazenly marketed with bright colours and a variety of flavours in an explicit appeal to children. Vaping products are known to use cartoon characters and are designed sleekly, calling out to the younger generation. Some vaping products are indistinguishable from toys. In many other countries, like in Ireland, the rate of vape use among children exceeds that of adults. It has been shown that even brief exposure to e-cigarette content online strongly correlates with a greater intention to use these products, as well a more positive outlook towards e-cigarettes in general. Young people who regularly make use of vaping products are also more likely to engage in much more harmful behaviours such as smoking. On average, children who vape are three to five times more likely to take up smoking. Unfortunately, what was once seen as an off-ramp for smokers is now increasingly a gateway to smoking for our young people. In my experience as a sports coach I know the harms that vaping presents for athletes. Vaping can decrease lung capacity, increase fatigue, and ultimately make it more likely for children to give up sports long before they may otherwise to do so. This is a really alarming consequence of the single-use vape. I welcome the many measures that have been taken to combat the spread of vaping among our young people, which include an e-liquids tax that came into effect last November, and the launch of a licensing regime that will come into effect in the next month. On the ground in Carlow and Kilkenny, as the Minister of State will know, measures have also been taken to try to reduce the impact of vaping on young people. Of these, the success of the Not Around Us campaign has been particularly impressive. This campaign, under the stewardship of Carlow County Council and Kilkenny County Council together, is an ask from young people to adults to consider their activity in outdoor spaces that are used by children and young people, so that young people can experience smoke- and vape-free spaces and environments. The aim of the campaign is to de-normalise smoking and vaping around children and young people. Initiatives such as this showcase the desire on the ground to protect our young people from the dangers of nicotine dependence. On an environmental level this Bill aims to not only protect our natural heritage from pollution with disposable vapes, but also to protect the health and well-being of workers in the waste industry who regularly face potentially hazards owing to the use of lithium-ion batteries in vaping products. Single-use vapes present an enormous number of challenges for our young people, our environment and our public health in general. Over the past months we have seen measures come into effect that will directly combat and reverse the trend of children taking up vaping. Of these measures, an outright ban as proposed in this Bill will, in my view, represent the firmest possible statement of this Government's intention to safeguard our children's health.

Sentiment score: 0.08