I speak on behalf of the small convenience store, often the only store now in every village in rural Ireland. I want to raise serious concerns about the new tobacco and vaping licence fee due this month. What was a once-off fee of €50 is now a combined annual fee of €1,800. That is a 3,500% increase and 36 times higher than what it previously was. I understand the public health issue at the heart of this, but the fact that the small convenience store must pay the same as the big players in the market - the Tesco and Dunnes Stores of this world - is very unfair. The average licence fee across the US, the southern hemisphere and the European Union is €250. I ask the Taoiseach to urgently review this fee as it applies to the small retailer and to apply the SME test.

I thank the Deputy and I understand where he is coming from to a degree, but the requirement for a licence to sell tobacco and nicotine inhaling products was enacted in December 2023 and it came into effect earlier this month. It follows on from a recommendation for a national tobacco control policy from Tobacco Free Ireland and it is designed to give an enforcement authority to the HSE's national environmental health service.

We know tobacco kills one out of every two smokers and is responsible for about 4,500 deaths a year. We want to end tobacco consumption. Vapes, on other factors, are worse in terms of other impacts on public health. I know the Deputy is asking if there can be a differentiation between larger and smaller retailers. I will talk to the Minister about that, but I do not think we can resile from a fundamental issue facing us a society. The vapes, to me, are big tobacco's revenge after we substantively dealt with the tobacco issue. It came back around the corner with the vapes, which are doing real damage. I met Dr. Fauci a year ago and he outlined the damage to me in no uncertain terms.