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Introduce Smoking Law Early, Says Health Charity

Monday 1 January 2007

A top medical charity is urging businesses to beat the smoke-free workplace deadline and start the New Year by getting people used to the idea.
NI Chest, Heart and Stroke said a gradual introduction would avoid an overnight shock for smokers, but some pubs had already put the curbs into effect.

A top medical charity is urging businesses to beat the smoke-free workplace deadline and start the New Year by getting people used to the idea.
NI Chest, Heart and Stroke said a gradual introduction would avoid an overnight shock for smokers, but some pubs had already put the curbs into effect.

Chief Executive Andrew Dougal said: “We congratulate those restaurants and pubs which are one step ahead of the new law, and we would urge as many others as possible to start 2007 by following suit. But some may prefer to introduce the idea gradually, by, for example, having a couple of smoke-free days a week. We would also urge employers to make smoking cessation advice available to those staff who need it.”

The new law prohibits smoking in all workplaces and public enclosed spaces, and comes into effect on April 30th. A similar law already exists in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Dougal suggested that critics of the legislation should look at the health benefits, and accept that Northern Ireland was simply catching up with an international trend.

“Many countries were way ahead of us on this issue,” he said. “Aside from the United States, Australia, Iran, Russia, Vietnam, Tanzania, Bangladesh and many of our European neighbours introduced smoke-free workplace legislation some time ago.

“The health benefits are already clear just a few miles down the road. A study of bar workers in Dublin found a marked decrease in the amount of poisonous carbon monoxide in their lungs a year after the Republic’s law came into force. There is also evidence on this island and in Scotland of the new legislation giving people the impetus they needed to give up the tobacco habit.”

The Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke has written to Health Minister, Paul Goggins MP, asking that he intervenes to speed up planning applications by publicans and others to deal with the new dispensation. The Federation of Retail Licensed Trade in Northern Ireland has publicly stated that members are encountering a log jam in planning and other permissions.

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