The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, on RTÉ's Morning Ireland yesterday, said he supported the proposed smoking ban on health grounds, claiming that many of the 7,000 people who died of cancer in Ireland each year contracted the illness through passive smoking.
"I see this as a debate about a life-and-death issue. There are 7,000 people in this country dying from cancer every year. Something clearly has to be done," he said.
"A number of things have already been done by the Government. The ban on smoking in the workplace is a further move in that direction and I fully support it."
Asked whether he saw room for compromise, he said the Government decision was that from January 1st people would not have to suffer passive smoking in their workplace. "As for as I'm concerned the Government decision has been made and it's not changed."
The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, also on Morning Ireland, said: "This is truly a health issue, and if you look at the cost of our health services, every euro, every cent each taxpayer in the country pays goes towards the provision of our health services and nowhere else.
"Micheál Martin is quite right and I fully support him in looking at the causes and trying to do something about these problems. I don't think there's any argument about the fact that smoking cigarettes is harmful to health."
Asked whether any compromise was allowed, he said: "I don't see any great room for manoeuvre here."
The Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Willie O'Dea, who is on holiday, said he had not applied his mind to the issue. "As soon as I've looked at the thing I'll take a position on it," he said. He indicated that this would be by the time of a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, scheduled for September 12th.
When asked about his controversial remarks on the proposed smoking ban in pubs and restaurants the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, said yesterday that he supported the Government. Earlier this week Mr Cullen had called for the proposal to be watered down.