The Government will consider making nicotine patches freely available to pregnant women, the Dáil has heard.

Minister of State for Health Alex White said he would discuss the issue with his senior Minister James Reilly as part of the Government's bid to cut levels of smoking from the current 29 per cent of the population to 5 per cent by 2025.

He said an estimated 18-21 per cent of Irish women smoked during pregnancy. Research also showed that Irish people start smoking younger than those in any other EU country.

Fine Gael TD Catherine Byrne suggested Ireland follow the example of England where nicotine patches were available free to pregnant women.

Giving up smoking was a huge challenge and not made easier by the stresses of early pregnancy.

“Young women in particular need our understanding and assistance, not a lecture.”

Ms Byrne said she walked past the Coombe maternity hospital each day and noticed pregnant women standing outside having a smoke.

"These women are often heavily pregnant and you cannot help but be concerned given the risk to their unborn babies and themselves," she said, citing miscarriage, stillbirth and illness in early infancy.

Range of infections
She pointed to US research showing babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy were at increased risk of developing a wide range of infections and were 50 per cent more likely to be hospitalised or to die from these infections compared with babies born to mothers who did not smoke.

Giving a commitment to discuss the issue with Dr Reilly, Mr White said research showed that age and socioeconomic factors were key determinants of smoking in pregnancy.

He said Tobacco Free Ireland, Dr Reilly’s project to have a tobacco-free Ireland by 2025, contained a number of measures that would go a long way “towards denormalising smoking in our society”.

Pregnant women were specifically mentioned in the project as requiring targeted interventions.