Tobacco packs analysis ‘flawed’

The Department of Health’s analysis of the impact of forcing cigarette companies to use plain packaging was a box-ticking exercise that breached the Government’s own analysis guidelines, the country’s biggest tobacco company has claimed.

JTI Ireland, whose brands include Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut, said the department’s Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) was begun too late and only published after Oireachtas debate on the proposed laws started.

The company also complained the two-week public consultation period fell far short of the 12 weeks recommended for best practice, and it said the analysis failed to examine alternatives to legislation.