McGimpsey Encouraged By Numbers Of People Quiting Smoking

The Northern Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has welcomed new statistics which show that 21,272 people set a quit smoking date in the last year.

"Smoking is thought to be the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in Northern Ireland," he said. "By giving up smoking, people will improve their life expectancy, they will have a better sense of taste and of course they will save money.

"While these figures are encouraging there are still approximately 350,000 smokers in Northern Ireland. I would ask smokers to seriously think about giving up.

"Nicotine Replacement Therapy is the most popular choice for those people trying to quit and the Department will ensure that everyone will have access to this treatment."

Praising staff who provide help and support to people in their efforts to give up smoking the Minister said: "The cessation services throughout Northern Ireland are doing an excellent job in encouraging and supporting people to quit the habit.

"While supporting people to quit smoking is essential, one of the Department's top priorities is to prevent children and young people from starting smoking in the first place.

To help achieve this, the Department is introducing a number of measures which include banning displays of tobacco products at the point of sale, introducing further restrictions on tobacco vending machines and proposals to strengthen sanctions against retailers who sell to underage children."