Consultation opens on smoking ban in enclosed places
Detail of smoking ban revealed this week |
Proposals on how legislation banning smoking in enclosed places in England and Wales would work in practice were unveiled by public health minister, Caroline Flint, this week. Key stakeholders are being consulted on the details
of a smoking ban, ahead of a Bill being introduced in the autumn.
Although the Bill will apply to England and Wales, the provisions described
in detail in the consultation document only apply to England. The consultation
proposes that the Bill should enable the Welsh Assembly Government to
make its own provision for smoke-free public spaces.
Commenting on the content of the consultation, Miriam Armstrong, chief
executive of PharmacyHealthLink, said that the danger of second-hand
smoke is still being played down. “The Department of Health still
appears to be treating the issue as an ‘optional extra’ instead
of a health and safety issue. They are asking us to comment on which
option we would prefer, as if their actions should be swayed by the popularity
stakes,” she said. “Instead, most businesses, local authorities
and the public health community have come out in favour of the easiest
option to implement and enforce — which is a complete ban in enclosed
areas.”
In addition, over 70 per cent of adults in Britain and 65 per cent of
smokers believe that smoking should be banned in households with children,
a survey of 1,275 adults has found. The survey was conducted on behalf
of Developing Patient Partnerships, which this week launched a “Driving
out smoking” campaign to encourage people to think about the impact
of smoking in their home.
WHO support for Scottish
Ban The Scottish Executive’s plan
to ban smoking in enclosed public places received the support of
the World Health Organization this week. According to Peter Boyle,
director of WHO’s international agency for research on cancer: “The
comprehensive approach proposed is completely in line with what WHO
has been advocating for many years,” he said. He added: “It
is a great example for other countries around the world to follow
and, most importantly, will be of great benefit to the health of
the Scottish population.”
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