England: Smoking to be banned in workplaces and most pubs
Smoking will be banned in the majority of enclosed public places in England within four years, the British government confirmed today.
The long-awaited Public Health White Paper revealed that cigarettes would be oulawed in all workplaces, restaurants and the 90% of pubs which prepare and serve food.
Health Secretary John Reid said that smoking would still be allowed in pubs which did not serve food and in private clubs, subject to the agreement of members.
As part of efforts to protect staff from secondhand smoke, smoking in the bar area will be prohibited everywhere.
The plans will anger many campaigners who believe only a blanket ban across the whole of England will protect staff, with a partial ban creating further inequalities.
Leading medical experts, including chief medical officer Liam Donaldson, have long called for a total ban to protect non-smokers from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
The White Paper also sets out how the government intends to combat England’s other top public health concerns, including obesity, sexual ill-health and alcohol abuse.
The smoking ban will be applied in stages, with all government departments and the NHS leading the way - all being smoke-free by the end of 2006.
By the end of 2007, all enclosed public places and workplaces will be smokefree, and by the end of 2008 arrangements will be in place for licensed premises also to be subject to legislation.
Dr Reid said the government was eager to allow individuals to make their own informed choices on improving their health.
“We believe that, in a free society, men and women ultimately have the right within the law to choose their own lifestyle, even when it may damage their own health. But people do not have the right to damage the health of others.
“We therefore intend to shift the balance significantly in favour of smoke-free environments,” he told MPs in the Commons.
The British government is keen to avoid accusations of “nanny-statism” by saying it only wants to guide people to make their own decisions about their health.
Dr Reid said the White Paper treated citizens “as adults, capable of making their own decisions, while providing advice, information, encouragement, resources and personal support for those who want to make the healthy choices - and protection from the effects of those who do not”.
