A member of the Oireachtas sub-committee on smoking and health this evening called on the tobacco industry to accept an invitation to give evidence under oath.
Fine Gael’s Mr Gay Mitchell, sub-committee member and party spokesman on health, on the eve of world ‘no tobacco day’ said: "The committee has power to compel attendance but the industry should stop prevaricating and confirm today that they will act as good citizens and appear without further delay."
Earlier today, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, met with teenagers from the Convent of Mercy Secondary School in Roscommon, who voiced their concerns about tobacco use and offered their suggestions to tackling the problem.
Research shows that two-thirds of all Irish children have experimented with tobacco. The Department of Health believe up to 7,000 deaths per year are caused as a result of smoking related illnesses.