Pubs in Wales will be facing a smoking ban before the end of the year if the Welsh Assembly gets its way.
With the smoking ban in Scotland due to begin on March 26, Wales is now expected to follow suit as quickly as the Welsh Assembly can implement it. Health minister Dr Brian Gibbons has given his biggest indication yet that, while there is no precise date set, he hopes to ban smoking in advance of England's proposed summer 2007 deadline.
In an exclusive briefing he admitted the assembly would not want to impose the ban later than England. In fact, he confirmed: "If possible we would want to be sooner."The Health Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords, will give Wales the right to make its own decision on a ban.
The Welsh Assembly has already voted in support of a full ban on smoking in all public places during consultation in May last year.
Once the Health Bill receives Royal Assent, which is tipped for June, the assembly will launch a two-month consultation to discuss technical issues such as defining outside areas, setting the level of fines for those breaking the ban and the amount of signage licensees will be required to display.
Dr Gibbons stressed it was too late for any licensees to oppose the ban and said the assembly consultation process would be tightly restricted.
"It is an entirely technical consultation; the politics are over," he added.
Licensees across Wales have been vehemently opposed to the ban.
Philip Lay, retail director at Cardiff brewer and pub company SA Brain, said: "Any attempts to rush the bill through can only end in disaster.
"We reluctantly accept that a smoking ban has been confirmed as the only option.
"However, we could not accept rushing the Bill just to beat England. That would be bordering on insanity."
John Price, secretary of Licensed Victuallers Wales (LVW), is concerned about the lack of communication from the Welsh Assembly.
He said: "It's not fair on the licensees as it's not long enough to prepare. We are going to picket the assembly to find out what's going on. This will close a lot of pubs."
Research from LVW published last year revealed that half of the licensees believe they will be forced to lay off staff, while more than a quarter believe they will go out of business.
But Dr Gibbons poured scorn on fears of economic difficulties.
He said: "I do not think a ban will push a successful pub into difficulties.
"The challenge will be to attract the large proportion of non-smokers."