The Department of Finance has no role in this regard. It is a matter for the Central Statistics Office which applies international comparisons. Every five years, the CSO carries out a major household survey of the patterns of people's spending on drink, cigarettes, chocolates, cinema-going, mortgages and so on. The last such survey was carried out in 2001 and the CSO reset the basis of its calculations to ascertain, for instance, whether people were spending more or less on drink. When the CSO carries out its hundreds of surveys each month, it records the prices of goods in different categories. This is a statistical application. It has nothing to do with the Department of Finance.
The percentage of the population who smoke is now approximately 24%, down from approximately 32% a decade ago. This fact is reflected in the CSO's statistical analysis. The household survey is carried out every five years to record people's spending habits. I know a survey was carried out in 1996 and I think the last one was in 2001. Once the survey has been done, the basket of goods reflects such changes.
An argument has been made by my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, about when tobacco should be included. I effected a significant increase in tobacco prices some years ago and gave most of the money to the Department of Health and Children that year, which many people thought a good idea. However, when it came to negotiating wages last year, no one suggested that we should deal with the CPI figure without including tobacco, including the media.
Although it is bad for people to smoke and drink, when one examines spending habits in totality, the CSO correctly identifies that these are the things people spend their money on and that should be reflected in the CPI. There is a logic to that.