The sale of disposable vapes in the State will be banned under proposals due to be brought to Cabinet on Tuesday.
There are also plans to restrict the sale of flavours which often appeal to children, as well as for a ban on point-of-sale advertising displays in shops other than specialised outlets that only sell vapes.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly also wants to place restrictions on colours and imagery on packages and the devices themselves to ensure they are not aimed at younger people.
He is expected to get Government approval on Tuesday to draft laws to ban the sale of disposable vapes on environmental and public health grounds.
Schools sexual abuse inquiry: It was open season on children’s bodies. These men did what they liked
Germany announces plans to introduce checks on all borders
‘Sex in public view’, fighting and drug-taking spur residents’ fears over proposed cemetery
Harris v Trump presidential debate: Irish start time, where to watch and what to expect
Littering of the devices has been a problem in recent years and there are public health concerns that failure to properly recycle the vapes, which include batteries, could be resulting in the release of toxic compounds into the environment.
Mr Donnelly is also concerned that the products sold in Ireland contain the maximum permitted level of nicotine, and on their own are not an effective means of quitting cigarette smoking.
It is also intended to bring in restrictions on flavours, particularly those that appeal to children, though work remains to be done on exactly how this will be implemented.
A ban on the sale of vaping products and e-cigarettes to people under 18 years of age came into effect in Ireland last year.
Mr Donnelly is set to brief colleagues on estimates for an increase in the number of GPs working in Ireland in coming years. The current level of just over seven GPs per 10,000 people is estimated to increase to between 9 and 10 per 10,000.
An 80 per cent increase in training places since the Government came into office is said to be resulting in 1.5 to 3 GPs entering practice for every expected retirement.
Meanwhile, Minister for Finance Jack Chambers is likely to brief Cabinet on the ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the long-running Apple tax case, which is expected to be delivered on Tuesday morning.
A key adviser to the ECJ, an advocate general, recommended last November that it set aside a 2020 EU general court ruling that the European Commission had failed to stand up a claim the iPhone maker owed the Republic more than €13 billion in back taxes, plus interest.
[ Ireland is getting stricter on cigarettes. But is vaping a more urgent problem?Opens in new window ]
The Government and Apple are expected to learn on Tuesday whether the views of the advocate general will be followed by the ECJ.
Mr Chambers is separately due to update colleagues on the interim investment strategy for the Government’s two new sovereign wealth funds – the Future Ireland Fund and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund.
While work is ongoing on a long-term investment strategy aimed at gaining maximum returns from the funds, the interim strategy will see the funds placed in low-risk and highly rated liquid investments.
The Land Development Agency’s (LDA) 2023 annual report will be brought to Cabinet by Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien. It is understood the report outlines how planning applications were granted for 1,850 homes on public lands, while more than 5,600 homes are in the planning and design phase.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will update Cabinet on the North-South Ministerial Council due to be held in Dublin on Friday.
The agenda will include infrastructure developments such as the A5 road project, the Ulster Canal and Narrow Water Bridge, and participants in the meeting will discuss cross-Border issues such as healthcare and trade.
In other Cabinet business, the Tánaiste is expected to brief Ministers on unfolding events in the Middle East, and the potential implications of the recent non-binding advisory opinion at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found that the continued presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unlawful.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
