LABOUR and Fianna Fail have said they would support an immediate ban on tobacco advertising on the front and back pages of newspapers and magazines.
The parties were responding to a questionnaire from the anti-smoking group ASH Ireland.
The questionnaire asked parties if they had ever "solicited funds from the tobacco industry", given the fact that 6,000 people in Ireland died from tobacco-related illness every year.
Fianna Fail answered Yes to this question. The questionnaire did not ask whether the party had received money, and if so how much.
On the question of whether any party candidates had solicited funds from the tobacco industry the party circled "don't know". Asked whether it had ever "discussed the ethics of soliciting funds from the tobacco industry," Fianna Fail answered No.
In a letter signed by the Labour Party general secretary, Mr Ray Kavanagh, the party said it "has not sought funds from the tobacco industry and while we have not carried out a comprehensive survey on this matter, to the best of our knowledge individual Labour Party candidates follow the same principles".
The Green Party said it would support a total ban on tobacco advertising, consider increasing tobacco prices and support an immediate ban on "outer-page" advertising. The party said it had not solicited funds from tobacco companies.
Labour said it would favour a ban on tobacco advertising "on an EU-wide basis" And Fianna Fail said it would "consider the policy seriously in a European context".
Dr Luke Clancy of ASH said he was disappointed that only three of the parties had responded. Dr Clancy was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Irish Network for Smoking Prevention in Dublin.
A public health specialist, Dr Fenton Howell, argued that smoking was the largest health issue facing the government. "You'll hear about superbugs, the effort of mobile phones on people's health. You'll hear about Sellafield. The minor issues are being turned into public health issues.
"It has been said that hepatitis C is the biggest public health disgrace in this country. It's not. Tobacco is and it has been for 50 or 60 years.
Dr Howell said health officials were not obliged to enforce the regulations governing tobacco. "We know 25 per cent of 16-year-olds smoke and yet no one has ever been prosecuted." He argued that retail outlets should be licensed to sell tobacco in the same way they were licensed to sell alcohol.
He criticised RTE as a semi-State body for carrying tobacco advertising in its magazine, the RTE Guide.
