Number of Irish smokers down significantly since 1998
The number of smokers in Ireland has fallen significantly in the past seven years, according to the Office of Tobacco Control.
Launching its latest annual report today, the OTC said less than one quarter of Irish people were smokers in August of this year, compared to almost one third seven years ago.
The OTC said the fall was due to a number of measures, including the workplace smoking ban introduced in March of last year
However, despite the fall in the number of smokers, the Government's anti-smoking organisation said it was still concerned about high levels of smoking among young people.
It said almost one fifth of Irish 15- to 18-year-olds were smokers and 92% of teenagers had never been asked for ID when buying cigarettes.
The OTC wants the Government to tackle the matter through improved enforcement of the law on selling cigarettes to minors, as well as increases taxes on tobacco products.
