Children's Minister James Reilly says he is prepared for a series of legal challenges from tobacco firms who are trying to "intimidate" the Government over its plain packaging legislation.
Dr Reilly said the Government was prepared to end up in the courts in order to fend off any challenges to the legislation, which yesterday cleared all stages of the Dáil and Seanad.
The plain packaging bill will now be sent to the President and could be signed into law before St Patrick's Day.
The measures have been widely welcomed by groups such as the Cancer Society, the Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Asthma Society.
But a number of major tobacco firms have vowed to haul Dr Reilly and Health Minister Leo Varadkar before the courts, stating that the legislation is an infringement of their intellectual property rights. These include Japan Tobacco Ireland and Imperial Tobacco, which owns the John Player Blue brand.
Speaking yesterday, Dr Reilly accused the companies of trying to "intimidate" the Government.
Source: Niall O'Connor, Irish Independent, 04/03/15
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