Martin criticises tobacco firms' practices

Tobacco companies sponsoring major events were accused of hypocrisy by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.

Delegates passed a motion calling for a tobacco-free society. Mr Martin said the industry sold its products without regard to the harm they caused. "At the same time, to gain social acceptance, it gives donations, endowments and patronage to high-profile events and people. In PR terms, that is given the name of good corporate citizenship. Where I come from, it is given the name of dangerous hypocrisy.

"I am calling for an end to that hypocrisy and I'm asking you to do the same. We don't have to be killjoys, but we do have to be honest.

"Too many of the admissions to hospital in this country relate to the misuse of alcohol. And thousands of our people die every year because of cigarettes.

"We have to bring moderation into our use of alcohol and we have to, bluntly, eliminate cigarettes, if we are not to pose an insurmountable challenge to the new health system we are creating."

He said tobacco had caused an "epidemic" as deadly as any throughout the centuries. "Tobacco kills. It kills in many different ways. It kills increasing numbers of women. It does its damage directly and indirectly.

"For children, much of the damage comes from smoking by adults where children live, study, play and work. The very least we should be able to offer our children is breathable air."

Ms Cait Megan (UCC) said tobacco was the biggest single cause of preventable premature death in Ireland. "It claims 7,000 lives each year. This is the equivalent of the population of a town the size of Ballina, Wicklow, Skibbereen."