Children under the age of 18 will be banned from buying “vapes” or e-cigarettes before the middle of July under plans going to Cabinet.
Ministers are expected to sign off this Tuesday morning on new legislation from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that would see vapes banned for children.
The Bill will also restrict the type of retailers that can sell nicotine-inhaling products, as well as banning advertisements for nicotine-inhaling products near schools and on public transport.
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Government sources told the Irish Mirror that the advertising crackdown would be done in a bid to “limit children’s exposure to commercial messages normalising or glamourising the purchase and usage of e-cigarettes”.
The Irish Mirror understands that the crack down on retailers selling e-cigarettes will see vape vending machines banned. Mobile or casual traders at events where children are present will also not be allowed to sell the products.
The sale of vapes to teens is already banned in a number of European countries, as there is “clear evidence that adolescent nicotine exposure can have long-term consequences for brain development,” the source added.
The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey 2018 and the European Schools Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs 2019 showed that 9% of 12-to-17-year-olds and 15.5% of 15 and 16-year-olds used electronic cigarettes in the previous 30 days.
According to the World Health Organisation, there are 16,000 different flavours of vapes, including bubblegum and “gummy bears”.
There are concerns vaping is a gateway to smoking, with a study by the Health Research Board finding that children who vaped were five times more likely to start smoking.
The legislation banning the sale of vapes to under-18s is expected to come into force before the Dáil rises for its summer holidays on July 13.
Elsewhere, Education Minister Norma Foley will outline the details of a new wellbeing pilot that will provide counselling services in primary schools.
Some €5m has been allocated to roll out this pilot programme, which comprises two new “support models”.
The first part will see counselling rolled out to children in primary schools in seven counties across the country.
The National Educational Psychology Service will support schools by establishing panels of qualified counsellors and by helping to identify the students who would most benefit from this intervention.
The second part will create a “Wellbeing Practitioner” role who will work with schools on early intervention and wellbeing.
The Irish Mirror understands that Justice Minister Simon Harris will bring the long-awaited report of familicide– first commissioned in 2019 – to Cabinet.
Elsewhere, Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin will seek Government approval for the establishment of the first Ireland House in London as part of its Global Ireland strategy.
It will see Ireland’s embassy and agencies come together under one roof, incorporating the Embassy of Ireland and Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland on a single site in central London.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien and Climate Minister Eamon Ryan will bring a report from a working group tasked with considering “Transport Orientated Development”.
The group has identified 14 locations in Dublin that are suitable for the phased delivery of intensive mixed-use development.
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