GOVERNMENT MAY FOLLOW US LEAD AND TAKE ON THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY

An Oireachtas committee is to tell the Government next month whether
it should follow the lead of the US administration and take on the
tobacco industry in Ireland.

This week the US Attorney General Janet Reno announced that the US
Government had filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington DC
against the major cigarette companies. In the US the tobacco industry
has already agreed to pay over $250 billion to the 50 states.

The Joint Committee on Health and Children, chaired by Fianna Fail TD,
Batt O’Keeffe, has been examining the Irish tobacco industry over the
past two years. Their report is expected to be ready at the end of
next month. Over 6,000 people die in Ireland every year from smoking
related illnesses while over 15,000 people are undergoing medical care
each year.

Solicitor Peter McDonnell represents more than 200 people in cases
against the industry, including snooker ace Alex Higgins. He believes
the Irish Government should take on the tobacco industry in a bid to
recoup the massive cost to the health system arising from smoking
related illnesses.

“President Clinton’s assertion that the taxpayers shouldn't pay for
the cost of lung cancer, emphysema and other smoking related illnesses
and that the tobacco industry should, applies equally to this
country,” said Mr McDonnell.

The solicitor said his firm in Dublin had been pushing the Government
for the past two years to issue proceedings against the Irish tobacco
industry to recover the money spent on health care.

Another solicitor who has over 1,000 clients taking actions against
the Irish tobacco industry is Hugh Ward. His Dublin based firm is
working closely with two American lawyers who successfully represented
19 American states in actions against the tobacco industry.

This week the two American lawyers privately met officials of the
Department of Health and the Joint Committee on Health and Children to
tell them of their experience in taking on the tobacco industry.