Ireland among EU’s most regulated ‘nanny states’

Ireland is the fourth most regulated ‘nanny state’ in the EU, according to a new report that ranks countries by their policies on eating, smoking, and drinking.

The index, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs, a free market think tank, includes any policy that is designed to deter consumption of legal products.

It says Ireland’s policies on alcohol are the third strictest in the EU, and its regulations on smoking is second only to the UK in terms of its deterrence level.