Fines for smoking in car with kids will be enforced from January
Children’s Minister James Reilly and Health Minister Leo Varadkar will also give the media an outline of the fines that will be applicable for the offence.
Plans for the fines have been in place for some time; in April 2014, it was reported that James Reilly — at that time the health minister — had agreed to fast-track legislation to ban people smoking in cars carrying children. This came after the Seanad had passed the “Protection of Children’s Health from Tobacco Smoke Bill”, which had been initiated by senator and medical consultant John Crown and supported by senators Jillian Van Turnhout and Mark Daly.
At that point it was speculated that offenders face summary fines of between €80 and €100.
Then, in December, in his new portfolio in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Mr Reilly confirmed the legislation had been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
However, it has taken a further year to bring it into force, as details of the regulations and fines were hammered out.
Earlier this month, the north’s health minister Simon Hamilton confirmed the law banning smoking in cars with children was being introduced there.
That was after the laws came into force in England and Wales on October 1. There, if an under-18 is in the car, smokers will be liable even if the windows are down or sunroof open.
