Health Minister must deliver to help people who want to quit vaping

Speaking in advance of a Dáil debate today on the use of vapes by young people, Labour’s health spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD said this Government must put in place supports to help people who wish to quit vaping and re-double their efforts to tackle the surge in the use of nicotine products.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“In response to Parliamentary Questions I submitted, the HSE admitted that they do not have capacity or resources to deliver care to people trying to stop vaping. This is despite staff in smoking cessation services stating that there is a demand from people who want support to quit vaping.

“Today, the Dáil will discuss the use of vapes and nicotine products by young people. It is crucial that we see clear commitments from the Minister today that people who wish to stop vaping will get the support they need and that we have clear action from the Minister on the sale and marketing of all nicotine products.

“For young people, in particular, there is a concerning rise in vaping. Research published in the Lancet in 2023 found that up to 30% of young people vape or use other tobacco products, an increase of 10% since 2015.

“The mooted move to ban single use vapes is welcome, but we know from our experience with the indoor smoking ban that supports must be in place to help who wish to quit vaping.

“There is of course the health impact, especially those impacts that we are yet to understand, the irritability because of the addiction, and the cost.

“Indeed in 2013, a target was set to have a smoking prevalence rate of less than 5% by 2025. The Healthy Ireland Report in 2024 found that this target was abysmally missed. Government has taken its eye of the ball in recent years when it comes to nicotine use and the changing trends.

“Everyone knows the just how addictive nicotine is and how much of a challenge it can be to give it up. Labour is calling for resourcing to be put in place within the HSE to help those who are seeking help to quit vaping.”

ENDS

18th September 2025

Ref: PQ 48822/25

To ask the Minister for Health if smoking cessation services also extend to the use of vapes or e-cigarettes.

Dear Deputy Sherlock,

The Health Service Executive has been requested to reply directly to your above referenced Parliamentary Question, which you submitted to the Minister for Health. The question concerned was referred to HSE Health and Wellbeing for review and direct response as the work of the Tobacco Free Ireland Programme (TFIP) is part of that function.

The HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme (as well as community and acute operational services) have been provided with funding and resources by the Department of Health to oversee and deliver standardised, evidence-based stop smoking care. Funding for a mass media campaign to drive traffic to the QUIT service is also provided annually.

To date, the HSE has not been directed or funded by the Department of Health to develop a stop vaping service. The development of such a service requires dedicated additional resources in terms of research, staff and funding to:

• Examine the evidence and research best practice in terms of what works for e-cigarette/other nicotine containing product cessation in order to design such a service.
• Recruit and train staff to deliver the stop vaping service at an operational level.
• Amend and develop the existing IT patient management system to capture client and service level activity and performance data relating to this new service.
• Provide medications for e-cigarette cessation (if after examining the evidence, use of existing medicines currently licensed and designed for smoking cessation are part of the recommended therapies).
• Design and produce a campaign to highlight, promote and drive traffic to the new service.

Staff working within stop smoking services have seen an increasing number of clients contact our stop smoking services looking for support to quit vaping in conjunction with their tobacco use (dual use) as well as from clients who do not use tobacco and only use e-cigarettes and wish to quit.

Currently if a client is dual using both tobacco (i.e. smoking) and vaping, they can access the regular stop smoking service and the full range of supports including access to free nicotine replacement therapy. We do not have capacity to deliver stop vaping care as outlined above and are not resourced to do so.

Our national QUIT services are very busy delivering lifesaving stop smoking care. In some local services (where there is capacity) behavioural support and advice may be provided to those clients who wish to stop vaping (only). However, we are not adequately resourced in terms of staff to provide a specific stop vaping service. There are no defined standards or training for the delivery of this service and the HSE is not currently provided with state-funded medicines to support those who want to stop vaping.

The HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme have prepared a business case and estimates bid for consideration by the Minister for the development of a pilot e cigarette cessation service as described above and if adequately resourced to complete this work will commence the research and development of same.

Each year in Ireland, over 4,500 people die because of smoking. Each day across our hospitals in

Ireland, one-in-five people with respiratory disease, one-in-eight people with cancer and one-in-ten people with circulatory disease have been admitted because of smoking-related harm. People who smoke are almost twice as likely to have a long-standing illness compared to those who don’t smoke, and each day require support from our primary and community care services.

I hope this information is of assistance to you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

_________________________________

Martina Blake

National Lead

HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme