Reid seeks to balance smoking interests
The Government is unlikely to emulate Ireland in introducing an outright ban on smoking in public places.
In March this year. Ireland became the first European country to ban smoking in workplaces, including pubs and restaurants. The move in the Irish republic was mirrored on the example across the Atlantic in New York
But Dr John Reid, Health Secretary, said Britain had and would find her own way of doing things to balance of rights of the “75 per cent of people” who wanted a ban.
“The status quo is not an option on smoking,” he said in a statement.
“The majority of people in this country are not smokers and they want to work and enjoy their leisure in an atmosphere which is not afflicted with cigarette smoke.
“I will try to do that in a way that will try to balance people’s rights in this country.
“And while I can learn from other countries I will not transpose automatically what other countries have done to people in England.”
Dr Reid’s comments came in the wake of a leaked report on Monday that said no human should be exposed to passive smoking because of the health risks.
The Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health report said second-hand smoke significantly increased the risk of lung cancer and heart disease.
Dr Reid said the idea that the report had been suppressed as the Government prepares to publish its public health White Paper next month was “nonsense.”
The White Paper is likely to balk at invoking a total ban on smoking in public places, but there is the suggestion that local authorities may gain more powers to decide on local smoking regulations.
Deborah Arnott, director of anti-smoking group, Action on Smoking and Health, said secondhand smoke was a serious risk to public health and criticised the government for holding back the release of the report.
ASH insists the report was released four months ago but was buried by Mr Reid as it made a compelling case for a total smoking ban.
“It is deeply worrying that the Government has sat on this for months; it should have been published in good time to inform debate around the public health White Paper.
“The report shows that there is no longer any excuse to deny the health damage caused by secondhand smoke.
“November’s White Paper must follow the Irish model and end smoking in the workplace once and for all. The clear lesson of the report is that nothing less will do.”
Melanie Johnson, public health minister, rejected claims the Government wanted to hide the report from public purview.
“We will be publishing the report alongside the White Paper. However there has been absolutely no attempt being made to suppress it in any way, nor indeed does it contain any new information.
“What we are accepting is that there are certainly risks, without doubt, that come from passive smoking. What we were asking about were the different kinds of environment, therefore not about the risks as such but about the different sorts of environment.”
