The Government has defeated a Seanad private member’s Bill to criminalise lobbying of government officials by tobacco manufacturers and their representatives by 25 votes to 22.
Minister for Health James Reilly said he could not support the legislation because a number of legal and constitutional considerations arise. “Constitutional issues arise in relation to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly.”
But Prof John Crown, who introduced the Protection of the Public Interest from Tobacco Lobbying Bill, said there were precedents in relation to restricting freedom of expression and cited the prohibition on politicians discussing court cases with judges.
He said that prior to 1964 no government had stated that it was policy that smoking caused cancer. In 2004, then minister for health, Micheál Martin, was the first health minister to have an entire country made smoke-free in the workplace.
This year, Australia was the first country to state it would introduce a blanket ban on pictorial depictions on cigarettes and have mandatory plain packaging. He urged Dr Reilly to ensure Ireland was the first to deal with lobbying. “If we pass this Bill, it is going to ring around the world as another onslaught in the worldwide battle against tobacco,’’ he added.
The problem
Prof Crown said it would be a recognition of the problem lobbying caused in Washington, Brussels, Strasbourg, London, Tokyo, Dublin and elsewhere.
Source: Marie O'Halloran, Michael O'Regan, Irish Times, 19/12/13
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