State should not 'enforce' vapes ban but 'afford' people the choice, Sinn Féin leader says

Mary Lou McDonald was speaking as her party arrived in Malahide for their annual think-in, with questions raised about the party’s stance on immigration amid new citizenship reforms from the Government

Ms McDonald said her party’s priority is around safeguarding the health of children and young people, particularly due to the prevalence of disposable vapes. File picture

People should be “afforded” the choice to smoke or vape in a democratic society, Mary Lou McDonald has said.

The Sinn Féin leader said while she would urge people against smoking, the Government should not take an overly hard position through outright bans.

“We’re also conscious of the fact that adults have to be given and afforded, in a democratic society, the choice, should they wish to exercise it, to vape or to smoke cigarettes or to use tobacco products,” Ms McDonald said.

“I don’t believe that the State should enter, in a very, very heavy-handed way to try and enforce that. That would be absolutely counterproductive."

It comes after Taoiseach Micheál Martin indicated his own strong support for a complete ban on vapes and nicotine pouches, alongside a clampdown on vape shops across the country.

Ms McDonald said her party’s priority is around safeguarding the health of children and young people, particularly due to the prevalence of disposable vapes.

Asked about Mr Martin’s proposed crackdown on vape shops across the country, Ms McDonald said she believes there needs to be “balance".

“In any town or a village o high street, there has to be a balance in terms of what developments happen and what kind of retail outlets are there.

“I remember in some communities, it can be anything from off-licences to bookie shops. A healthy community needs balance in that regard.”

Ms McDonald was speaking as her party arrived in Malahide for their annual think-in ahead of the new Dáil term, with questions raised about the party’s stance on immigration amid new citizenship reforms from the Government.

She said it is “absolutely reasonable” for there to be a structured pathway towards Irish citizenship, adding Sinn Féin is open to a conversation on the matter.

However, Ms McDonald did not say if she believed the updated rules went far enough or if her party would like to see stricter requirements.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

She added that her party’s justice spokesperson, Matt Carthy, would have a “particular role” in scrutinising the plans.

Pressed about whether Sinn Féin wanted to see a cut in net migration, Ms McDonald said the system needed to be transparent.

“We also want a system that is cognisant of the community and the societal needs of Ireland,” Ms McDonald said.

“When you talk about the numbers of people coming to Ireland, of course that is tied in with the labour needs within the economy in different sectors.”

Ms McDonald said she spoke with farmers, who told her of the “real difficulty” of finding people to take up seasonal work with them.

“You have to be cognisant of that. You also have to be aware of the stretches and the strains on public services,” Ms McDonald said, citing particular concerns about the availability of housing.

“Any responsible Government has to have in their line of sight all of those matters when they calculate how many permits any particular sector might be allowed.”

Meanwhile, Ms McDonald also confirmed her party would be proposing a complete abolition of the USC on all income up to €40,000.

• Tadgh McNally, political reporter