Ireland: Increased use of e-cigarettes would assist smokers to quit, study finds. The Health Information and Quality Authority has said that an increased use of e-cigarettes by smokers trying to quit "would increase the number of people who successfully quit compared with the existing situation in Ireland". For the first time e-cigarettes are included in a study on the cost effectiveness of aids for quitting smoking in Ireland. HIQA's analysis also looks at how many people use e-cigarettes to stop smoking in Ireland, as well as trends in other countries, while acknowledging that research into e-cigarettes is only beginning. HIQA has commenced a national public consultation on how best to quit smoking as part of an assessment into the cost-effectiveness of interventions offered by the HSE. A public consultation seeking feedback on this report is open until 3 February 2017. Following this, a final report will be prepared for consideration by the HIQA board, before being submitted to the Minister for Health and the HSE.