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Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said adults should be allowed to make their own decision when it comes to vaping, after Taoiseach Micheál Martin signalled his personal support for an outright ban on vapes.

Speaking at Sinn Féin’s annual think-in, in Malahide, Co Dublin, on Wednesday, Ms McDonald said that the party’s priority is around safeguarding the health of children and young people, but that adults should be entitled to make their own decision on whether to vape.

She said: “The use of disposable vapes, we know from talking to parents, young people themselves, schools, was a huge, huge problem.

“We’re also conscious of the fact that adults have to be given and afforded, in a democratic society, the choice, should they wish to exercise it, to vape, or to smoke cigarettes, or to use tobacco products.

“It’s not something I advise as a reformed smoker now of some years, I would advise that nobody consume tobacco. But I don’t believe that the state should enter in a very, very heavy-handed way to try and enforce that. I think that would be absolutely counter-productive.”

Yesterday, Mr Martin described vapes as the “revenge of Big Tobacco” and said Government should deal with the products in a “stronger way”.

Speaking at the end of the Fianna Fáil think-in, in Tullamore, Co Offaly, he said “vapes are nearly worse than cigarettes”.

Asked on Tuesday if he supported a ban on vapes, he said: “Well, I mean, I’m not the minister (for health).”

Pressed on his opinion as Taoiseach, he said: “In my view, products like that that are damaging to health, we should deal with (them) in as strong a manner as possible.”