16 November 2004 - Smoking Ban in Enclosed Public Places Expected for England
Unlike Scotland where a complete "blanket ban" will be introduced in the spring of 2005, it is expected that in England there will be some exceptions such as the following:
- Pubs who have food "brought in", such as sandwiches.
- Private member clubs, where they have a voting system on smoking.
- Bars, where they provide a separate area for smoking with separate entrance.
Dr. John Reid said:
"What people want in today's world is as much support and assistance from the Government as possible to help them make the healthy choices which will give them a better quality life and prolong their life."
The white paper was drawn up after a public consultation involving 150,000 people, of which the largest ever response to a white paper of 1,000 submissions were received by the Department of Health.
It is expected the partial ban on smoking in public places will be phased- in over a three year period.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
