The three main tobacco groups in Ireland have claimed legislation proposed by Health Minister James Reilly to ban all branding on cigarettes will have no impact on smoking levels and will only increase the trade in illegal cigarettes.

THE tobacco industry’s unprecedented visit to Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his ministers Michael Noonan and Alan Shatter would appear to have been a failure.

The Health Minister James Reilly has revealed his father and brother died from smoking-related illness as Ireland becomes only the second country to clamp down on tobacco marketing.

Ireland is set to become the second country in the world to introduce plain pack cigarettes, it emerged today.