New anti-smoking legislation has been criticised because it fails to ban the broadcasting by RTE of Formula One cigarette advertising at Grand Prix.
The anti-smoking group ASH Ireland said the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, had promised a complete ban on advertising, including Grand Prix, but had failed to include it in the Public Health (Tobacco) Bill 2001, published last week.
The Bill provides for a ban on tobacco advertising but "with certain exceptions". Ash chairman Dr Fenton Howell said yesterday the organisation was very disappointed.
"We would want the definition to be watertight to include a ban on any programme that advertises tobacco for 2 1/2 hours every fortnight. You couldn't call it a comprehensive ban if it allows that to happen."
Last September, Mr Martin said he had asked senior RTE managers either to blot out cigarette advertising at Grand Prix races by technological means or stop broadcasting Formula One racing. He said he was determined to "hammer the point home" with RTE.
He said ASH would be asking the station to use new technology to blank out the names of tobacco products on cars and hoarding during the screening of the races in Ireland.
The technology appears to depend on cameras which are sensitive to certain materials.
On the publication of the Bill, however, Mr Martin said no action would be taken "in the immediate future, not this year anyway".
Last year, the European Court of Justice overturned legislation banning tobacco advertising in the EU. The EU had adopted laws in 1998 which would have gradually phased out almost all tobacco advertising and sponsorship by 2006.
The Commissioner for Health and Consumer Safety, Mr David Byrne, then said 500,000 EU citizens died every year from the effects of tobacco and pledged to reintroduce legislation in conformity with the ruling.
The International Motorsport Federation has said it would impose a voluntary worldwide ban on the use of tobacco sponsorship from the end of 2006.
Dr Howell said Ireland should lead the way in this matter and not wait for the EU to act. "So what if other stations will be showing it? We have to show moral leadership, somebody has to take the lead."
Meanwhile, the Fine Gael health spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell, said yesterday that research conducted by ASH in the US found that second-hand smoke was a huge danger to which people were exposed.
"In the US, second-hand smoke kills more non-smokers than auto accidents, AIDS, fires and illegal drugs. There were 62,000 deaths last year in the US, making second-hand smoke the third-highest killer, behind smoking and alcohol.
"For every eight people who die from smoking, one person dies from second-hand smoking."
