Smoking in Public Places

The Health Bill was recently debated in Parliament. The most contentious issue in the Bill is the question of whether there should be a total ban on smoking in public places.

As the Bill originally stood it would have banned smoking in all restaurants. This proposal never seemed likely to be opposed. In pubs there would have been a ban in any pub where food was prepared, and a ban on smoking at the bar. An amendment was proposed to ban smoking completely in all pubs. A further point of contention was whether such a ban should also apply to private clubs.

I am a smoker and have been for many years. This isn't something I am proud of, and like many smokers I would really like to give up, but have to confess that I have so far never had the willpower. From selfish point of view I suppose that I would still like to be able to smoke in a pub. However I could not see how a partial ban could be workable. I also recognised the health concerns for those who work in pubs and clubs. I believe that a partial ban would obviously be a step forward in terms of healthier workplaces, and would almost certainly lead fairly soon to a total ban.

I finally made up my to vote for a total ban, applying to both pubs and private clubs.

I know that the majority of people who wrote to me, or responded to the survey on this website were in favour of a total ban. The law will come into effect in the summer of 2007, although I suspect that many places will move to an earlier ban.

Feb 2006

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