Some 95 per cent of all workplaces are compliant with the State's smoking ban, a report released today on the third anniversary of the ban says.
The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) said in its annual report that 35 cases for alleged breaches of the smoking ban were taken in 2006. Thirty-one of these involved pubs, three related to taxi companies and one involved a bus driver.
Sean Power, Minister of State
Three cases were taken against members of the public, and four were taken in relation to outdoor smoking shelters.
A total of 34 cases were successfully prosecuted, resulting in 37 convictions, the OTC said.
The body said 32,012 inspections were carried out by environmental health officers and 922 calls were received to its smoke-free compliance phone line.
Minister of State Seán Power TD said the ongoing success of the ban has "increasingly led the momentum towards smoke-free workplaces across Europe and beyond.
"Soon the whole island of Ireland will become smoke-free, when Northern Ireland introduces the law at the end of April 2007," he said.
"As the OTC's annual report shows, the smoke-free workplace legislation is now well embedded ,and those of us involved in tobacco control have been turning our attention to tackling the issue of children and smoking."
Data published late last year by the OTC showed that 16 per cent of children aged between 12 to 17 years smoke, with 78 per cent of smokers saying they began to smoke before they reached 18 years of age," Mr Power said.
Mr Power said this research showed that one of the most effective measures in preventing young people taking up smoking in the first place is the price of tobacco.
He added: "In two months' time, the prohibition on the sale of packs with less than 20 cigarettes will come into effect, along with a prohibition on confectionery which resembles cigarettes. We believe that such measures can prevent many thousands from taking up smoking in the first place."
Speaking on the publication of the OTC report, Dr Michael Boland said about 6,000 people die each year in Ireland from a smoking-related disease.
"Smokers have two to three times the risk of heart attack compared to non-smokers. We need to continue to work with our partners to build on significant progress made during 2006 and continue with the delivery of the next phase of creating a tobacco free society," he said.
Senator Derek McDowell of the Labour Party called on the Government to follow the lead of British chancellor Gordon Brown in cutting VAT on anti-smoking products.
"Nicotine patches, for example, are prohibitively expensive. A seven-day pack costs €26 in most pharmacies. If one was to follow the full course of treatment it can cost significantly in excess of €100.
"This is money that a lot of people believe they cannot afford, even though in the long run they will be financially and physically much better off if they take the treatment," Mr McDowell said.