BELFAST - Northern Ireland€™s Health Minister said earlier this week that he plans to introduce regulations to ban the display of tobacco products in retail outlets as well as to ban tobacco vending machines, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

Health Minister Edwin Poots said he intends to introduce the regulations by February 1, 2012, with the changes to take place next spring at the earliest.

"By removing displays of tobacco products from view in shops, and preventing children from accessing them through vending machines, we are building upon measures already in place aimed at reducing the prevalence of smoking," Poots said.

Poots addressed ongoing legal challenges and complaints in England over similar regulation changes, saying, "My Department continues to follow the legal challenges, with a view to making the regulations as soon as possible€¦retailers will be informed of the final commencement date as soon as possible, to allow necessary adaptations to be made to their premises."