A study has found that Ireland is second of a total of 27 countries for effective tobacco controls, down from first in a previous survey.
Anti-smoking campaigners say much more work needs to be done to dissuade people from taking up smoking.
The workplace smoking ban has had a significant effect on reducing Ireland's smoking rate but this report shows that where once Ireland was taking the lead in reducing smoking, the UK is now number one and we are number two.
Anti-smoking campaigners say the ban on packs of ten cigarettes has helped and Budget price hikes do make it more difficult for new smokers.
In another development, an EU-wide study has found that on average Irish men and women who smoked had almost twice the acceptable level of carbon monoxide in their system.
340,000 people in 27 European countries took part in the study to assess carbon monoxide levels in their system.
Of that number 4,276 people from Ireland took part, of which 63% were smokers.
The test involved blowing into a CO tester - much like a breathalyser.
A widely accepted safe level of carbon monoxide in one's system is 8.5 parts per million exhaled.
The three-year study showed that the average carbon monoxide level for non-smoking men and women in Ireland was 3.0 and 3.2 respectively - well within the acceptable levels and evidence perhaps of the success of the workplace smoking ban.
However, the carbon monoxide levels in the systems of the Irish smokers who took part in the study showed them way above the safe levels - 15.2 for women and 16.7 for men.
With the corresponding EU rates being 15.0 and 17.8, Irish women who smoke have more carbon monoxide in their systems than their EU counterparts.
Irish men who smoke, while having almost twice the safe level in their systems, are actually below their counterparts in other EU countries.
