Just two weeks remain to air
your views on smoking bans
by Andrew Pring
Licensees have just over two weeks left to influence the Government's smoking-in-pubs plans. Hundreds of anti-smoking submissions have already been lodged at the Department of Health and trade leaders are calling on every pub to respond now.
At a top-level trade meeting last week, delegates agreed the Government is most concerned with balancing health and jobs issues in its new legislation. Protection of staff from passive smoking should therefore be part of every pub trade submission. But so, too, should be the economic damage to pubs and their staff if smoking is outlawed in the trade.
Delegates were told that the Government believes smoking bans will do little lasting damage to pubs a view the trade vehemently disputes. One delegate suggested that if the Government is so convinced of its views, it should offer to pay compensation to any pub that losses trade as a result of a ban.
Other views hosts were encouraged to air with Government included: a long transitional period; signage only in pubs with smoking areas, rather than for every pub; and no distinction between pubs and clubs.
A survey this week from Fresh, a group campaigning to ban public smoking in the north-east, claimed to show that more than 80% of licensed premises in the region could continue smoking under the current proposals far higher than the Government's estimate of between 10% and 20%.
Fresh called on Government to abandon the option of allowing smoking at wet pubs and working men's clubs.
A further survey, this time of 150 MPs by Cancer Research and ASH (Action on Smoking and Health), claimed two-thirds will back a total workplace ban.
The Morning Advertiser is helping licensees express their views on smoking by calling on as many as possible to fill in and send to DoH the postcard on the front of last week's issue.
The MA called for as much time as possible before introducing changes; smoking in pubs not serving food; separate smoking rooms in pubs serving food; switching between smoke-free and smoking at different times of day; no smoking at the bar; and no distinction between pubs and working men's clubs.
