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Smoke-Free Public Places in Wales a Step Closer

Posted on: Monday, 11 July 2005, 12:01 CDT

Smoking is one of the biggest preventable causes of ill-health and premature deaths in Wales. It kills an estimated 6,000 people every year with another 400 people dying through second-hand or passive smoking. This is unacceptable.

Action must be taken to reduce this needless suffering and death.

That is why the Welsh Assembly Government accepted the Committee on Smoking in Public Places' recommendations for a comprehensive ban on smoking in enclosed workplaces and public spaces in Wales.

We need to ensure that all workers especially are protected from second-hand smoke, including workers in the hospitality sector, many of whom currently have a particularly heavy risk of exposure.

Pubs, bars and restaurants are areas of particular risk for workers and customers.

If we are serious about protecting public health then they must be included in any proposed ban.

Research shows that customers, including smokers, quickly accept smoke-free as the norm and that smoke-free areas discourage people from taking up smoking.

Adult non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke have a substantially increased risk of lung cancer, heart disease and chronic respiratory disease.

Second-hand smoke is a serious public health risk that needs to be addressed. This will have health benefits for both smokers and non-smokers.

I know there are concerns from the hospitality industry about the potential impact a ban would have on their business and we will be working closely with them in the run up to a ban.

Evidence from the experience in Ireland though shows there hasn't been a significant impact on the industry.

In fact the sector could see this as a major opportunity as more than three quarters of the population are non-smokers.

This is a massive potential market. Having smoke-free pubs and restaurants, for example, may encourage more people to enjoy an evening out with friends.

Of course, excess drinking can also be harmful to health and we would encourage people and the industry to act responsibly.

The Westminster Government has agreed to give the Welsh Assembly the powers to make its own decisions on a smoking ban.

The next step will be the Health Improvement and Protection Bill going into Parliament for its first reading, which is likely to be in the autumn.

As soon as possible after that, we will publish our draft regulations to give effect to the smoking ban.

The regulations will then be subject to consultation across Wales before coming to the Assembly for final approval.

In the meantime we will be strengthening smoking cessation services, developing a public awareness campaign and holding discussions with key stakeholders on the implementation of the ban.

In Wales we took the historic vote to ban smoking in public places.

We will soon have the powers to implement that ban and we are pressing ahead.

The experience in Ireland and New York, for example, shows that this is the right thing to do.

Source: Western Mail

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