Finian McGrath ‘will support tobacco reduction policies’

Minister of State for Health Finian McGrath has said he stands over his pro-smoking views but will support the tobacco reduction policies of the Government.

Mr McGrath said he will make known his personal views on the issue at Cabinet but will also accept collective ministerial responsibility.

He called for a “new approach” to tobacco which would involve “listening to smokers” who he said were “fed up of being pushed around”.

“We need to listen to the people themselves. There’s 19-20 per cent of the population that feel the way I do and at times we’re getting fed up with the way we are being treated,” he said.

He was speaking at the opening of a new kidney transplant unit in his constituency at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

Mr McGrath has been the focus of controversy over the past week for his views on smoking and Irish Water. He confirmed he intends to pay his water charges tomorrow, despite having previously opposed payment.

During an interview over the weekend, he called for an easing of the workplace smoking ban to allow indoor smoking areas in pubs and restaurants.

Asked at Beaumont Hospital whether he supported Government policy on making Ireland tobacco-free by 2025, he said he had his own personal view but "of course" he would support Government policy on health.

He said he also supported proposals in the Programme for Government to increase the price of cigarettes, despite having opposed previous excise hikes.

In the past, he called for a relaxation of the ban of smoking in hospital campuses, but on Monday said he would support Government policy on this issue. There were issues with mental health patients wishing to smoke, he said, and he has been lobbied by some professions on the issue.

He admitted the controversies over water and smoking had been a distraction, but said he wanted to get back to focusing on health and disabilities.

Compromise had become a “dirty word” for many people, he claimed. “Why can’t a minister compromise when it comes to politics. We need to get over that ‘black and white and you’re not allowed to change’ [approach] if it’s in the interest of people.”