Minister hints at ban on smoking in public places
The Government is considering banning smoking in some public places, the public health minister has suggested.
Melanie Johnson said the government would be “taking some form of action” in the wake of a four-month public consultation exercise which assessed the efficacy of a smoking ban in public places.
Ms Johnson told Newsnight on Thursday evening that the findings demonstrated much support for a ban of some sort.
The minister said a ban could be imposed by local communities or in designated pubs and restaurants.
“We will certainly be looking at the ways in which we address smoking in public places and taking some form of action as a result of the white paper,” she said.
The government is to publish a public health white paper this autumn.
Her comments came as Scottish politicians deliberate on whether to emulate Ireland’s smoking ban in workplaces – including pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Jack McConnell, Scotland’s first minister, said a ban had to be considered seriously.
“We have approximately 13,000 people in Scotland who die every year from smoking related diseases. Around 70 per cent of the one million smokers in Scotland say that they would like to give up and we need to find easier ways for them to do that.
“[A ban] is very attractive for us in Scotland, although we will wait until the end of our consultation before we make a decision.
“We do believe that this is a serious option which we have to consider.”
