Tobacco and vaping industries lobbying Irish politicians at 'chilling' rate 

A register was set up in 2015 to record interactions between politicians or similar groups and lobbyists on any topic

Some 511 entries relating to tobacco or vaping from 39 lobbyists between 2016 and 2024 were analysed by researchers working at the time with the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, HSE units, and University College Cork. File picture

The tobacco and vaping industries are lobbying Irish politicians at a “chillingly” high rate, the first analysis of nearly a decade of such lobbying has found.

It also found health groups had 2.9 times fewer submissions on Ireland's lobbying register than tobacco and vaping industries, consulting firms, and retailers.