Kieran McCarthy MLA said: “I am very pleased that proposals to introduce plain cigarette packaging in England have been brought forward and I hope all MPs will support it. It is now imperative that the Health Minister introduces similar plans in Northern Ireland.
“We have seen several different initiatives in recent years to reduce the level of smoking, such as removing cigarette displays in shops and the smoking ban. I believe that plain packaging must also be adopted.
“We must do all that is possible to encourage more people to give up smoking to improve the public’s health, as well as reducing the strain on our hospitals.”
ENDS