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• Health Minister admits giving option on smoking ban 

THE PORTUGUESE Health Ministry has admitted altering its plans with regard to a blanket smoking ban in food and drink establishments throughout Portugal.

Now, it will give restaurant, bar and disco owners the option of whether or not to allow smoking in their establishments. This option will be given at least for an experimental period, to facilitate the adoption of new government rules, which had initially stated that smoking would be banned, or at least strictly controlled, in smoking zones.

The alterations were made by Health Minister Correia de Campos and will be debated by the Portuguese government cabinet in the coming weeks. A Health Ministry spokesman said last week: “We are not ruling out changes to the proposed law.”

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