Public consultation? What public consultation?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 14:18 Today is the closing date for submissions to the Irish Government's "public" consultation on revisions to the EC's Tobacco Products Directive.
As I mentioned on Monday, the Department of Health in Dublin launched the consultation on December 20, five days before Christmas.
Forest Eireann has just issued a press release. Here's a flavour:
Campaigners want the Government to reject proposals to increase the size of health warnings on cigarette packets.
In a submission to the public consultation on revisions to the European Commission’s Tobacco Products Directive, the smokers’ group Forest Eireann also urged the Government to oppose a proposed ban on menthol-flavoured cigarettes and support the EU-wide legalisation of snus, a form of oral tobacco.
The group called on the Government to use its Presidency of the Council of the European Union [in the first half of 2013] to encourage member states to reject tobacco control policies that are “fundamentally illiberal and potentially counter-productive”.
In its submission Forest Eireann said it wanted politicians and bureaucrats to engage with all stakeholders, “including consumers, manufacturers and retailers”, to develop policies that are “sensible and proportionate” ...
Forest Eireann was also critical of the timing of the consultation, which was launched by the Department of Health on December 20, just five days before Christmas, closing on January 16.
“This was a public consultation but how many people knew about it?” asked Mallon. “Ireland is supposed to be a democracy yet a public consultation took place and the overwhelming majority of people were none the wiser. If people don’t engage in the process it’s because they have no idea it is happening.”
Full press release: Campaigners urge Government to reject revisions to Tobacco Products Directive.
Reader Comments (3)
Maybe Forest could nicely ask the French to sort out the anti-smoking jihadists in the UK and ROI after they have finished sorting out the ones in Mali.
Couldn't they just ask to have the closing date extended? Seemrf to work OK for the Aussies
I have followed smoking ban developments with interest over the years and I still, along with thousands of others, had no idea about this consultation.
Democracy in Ireland has taken a backseat not just with regard to the smoking ban but right across the board, even some of our elected representatives are publicly claiming that they have not been informed or consulted on impending regulations and in other matters as well and the population at large are now beginning to realise it, as it is we are just edging closer to the street and revolt.