Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026: Report and Final Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-24
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Pádraig Rice (SD), Cork South-Central

If I understand the Minister of State correctly, what she is suggesting is that the Government did not think about this and neglected to address this part of the legislation, thereby leaving a hole in the law. We now have to proceed because if we address this, we will have to go to the EU to get permission to do so. There is clearly a gap in the Bill, and there is no explanation from the Minister of State as to why this was not dealt with in either the first draft or the original notification to the EU.
I accept the Minister of State's argument that addressing this could delay the Bill, particularly as it was not done in the first place, but that is a mess of the Government's making. It is not our mess; we are trying to fix the hole in the law. It is inevitable that we will have to deal with nicotine pouches, advertising and flavours. Our argument is that we should do so now.
On EU law, the Minister of State might clarify whether there is a suggestion that the EU might pass an EU-wide law or give direction at national level, meaning that we will be back here dealing with another Bill. Is an EU-wide law proposed for nicotine pouches? Why was this not included in the Bill in the first place?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-24