Tobacco.org

• New Bill on Smokefree Public Places 

A new private member's Bill to restrict smoking in public places is being introduced in the House of Lords on No Smoking Day (Wednesday 10th March 2004) by Lord Faulkner of Worcester. The Bill is virtually identical to a measure introduced in 1994 as a backbench Bill in the House of Commons by Tessa Jowell MP, now Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Lord Faulkner's Bill would prevent any employee from being required by their contract of employment to work in a smoking area. It would also give statutory backing to no-smoking areas in enclosed public places (including bars, pubs and restaurants), and allow the Government to set maximum permitted exposure levels to environmental tobacco smoke for both employees and members of the public.

An important reason for introducing the Bill is because the voluntary measures taken by the pub and restaurant industries under the self-regulatory Public Places Charter have failed. An independent survey of pubs and bars in England and Wales, commissioned by the Department of Health and the industry's own Charter Group, reported that in March 2003 that only 3 of those surveyed had barred smoking, 764 had separate non-smoking areas, and 903 permitted smoking throughout their premises. One fifth of the sample had failed to comply with the Charter, even though this can be readily achieved by signs stating that smoking is permitted.

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