http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/wales.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Community&F=1&id=15237 http://tobacco.org/news/271719.html A Tonypandy pub landlord has been ordered to pay over 1,000 pounds for flouting the smoking ban in his establishment. Walter Glyn Thomas, landlord of the Welcome Inn, appeared in Pontypridd Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty to failing to prevent smoking in smoke free premises under the Smoke Free Premises etc (Wales Regulations 2007 and the Health Act 2006. The Court was told that the Welcome Inn along with the attached conservatory area was an enclosed premises for the purposes of the legislation. The conservatory was sub-divided with a smaller conservatory area being closer to Dunraven Street. On several occasion individuals were seen smoking in the smaller conservatory area. NewsWales enquiries@newswales.co.uk UK-Wales Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/letters-to-the-editor/south-wales-echo-letters/2008/09/15/allow-smoking-to-save-pubs-91466-21819888/ http://tobacco.org/news/271326.html SURELY it's time the Government and Welsh Assembly had a re-think regarding the smoking ban in pubs and clubs? We are hearing that our pubs are closing down at a fast rate, owing to the credit crunch, cheap supermarket prices and the smoking ban. Now, I don't think there is a smoker anywhere that doesn't understand that people who don't smoke should not have to breathe smoke in public places. But surely a limited amount of licences could be granted to allow some premises to at least have a smoking area inside, or maybe even places where it is allowed anywhere on the premises? . . . We have had nothing but a witch-hunt against smokers for years now, and it's about time there was some common sense. WalesOnline UK-Wales Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/14/many-still-failing-to-see-the-killer-in-the-smoke-91466-21530322/ http://tobacco.org/news/270580.html VERY rarely does a study emerge about the frequency of teens smoking without the results pointing to yet another decline. We repeatedly hear that fewer teens are embracing the habit than ever before, and, more broadly, various anti-smoking measures are winning the battle against the addiction. And yet countless people across the country still encounter, on a daily basis, scenes that draw a direct counterpoint to these published figures. Crowds of youngsters gathered in doorways with orange embers poking from the hoods of their school coats; adults being accosted to buy cigarettes from shops . . . So it is refreshing, if depressing, to find a report from Ash Cymru lifting the lid on shameful stories of teenagers smoking up to 200 cigarettes a week. The sheer size of the figure will seem fanciful to many, but if its shocking scale gives a reality check to any young person who has taken up the habit, or inflicts a new sense of duty on a parent, it will be valuable. . . . There really seems little more that governments can do. If writing "Smokers die young" on the side of packets of cigarettes and forcing their purchasers to stand in the cold and rain while they inhale their deadly fumes is not enough to get the point across, it would seem that nothing would. Instead, what is needed for the sake of a healthy future is a seriously large dose of common sense for those still indulging in this anachronistic habit. It costs the NHS millions of pounds a year, and it'll kill you. It's as simple as that. WalesOnline UK-Wales Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/south-wales-news/neath/2008/08/28/company-car-smoke-threat-91466-21605143/ http://tobacco.org/news/270467.html SMOKING in your company car could land you in court. That was the stark warning from environmental health bosses. The ban on smoking inside public buildings and work vehicles took effect in Wales in April 2007. But officers in Neath Port Talbot are still finding individuals and companies who risk being fined. The law requires vehicles to be smoke free at all times if they are work vehicles or used to transport members of the public, either as part of paid or voluntary work by more than one person - regardless of whether they are in the vehicle at the same time. WalesOnline UK-Wales Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7577566.stm http://tobacco.org/news/270325.html The council had said it could not stop people smoking in Ynysangharad Park "No Smoking" signs will be installed at a children's play area after a father complained about adults smoking. When Nicholas Powell took his three-year-old daughter to Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd town centre, he found adults smoking on benches. "It's not very nice for children breathing in the smoke and watching adults smoking," said Mr Powell. Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it would extend the signs to other play areas if the scheme was a success. BBC Online UK-Wales Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/08/14/shocking-teenage-smoking-figures-revealed-91466-21529736/ http://tobacco.org/news/270088.html UNDERAGE teenagers are smoking up to 200 cigarettes a week, shocking new research has revealed. A study by anti-smoking charity ASH Wales found that many are buying smuggled tobacco or are being sold individual cigarettes by shopkeepers who are breaking the law. It has been illegal to sell single cigarettes in the UK since 1991. The teen smokers, whose average age is just 14, also find it easy to buy cigarettes in their local corner shops and in supermarkets, despite the age limit on tobacco being raised from 16 to 18. ASH Wales today called on the Assembly Government to take a lead and consider licensing retailers to sell tobacco in the same way they are licensed to sell alcohol . . . The shocking research findings come as the Department of Health is consulting on radical proposals to limit the availability of tobacco - these would apply in Wales, England and Northern Ireland. This includes banning cigarette vending machines and branding on tobacco packaging. The Scottish Government has also announced a range of proposals WalesOnline UK UK-Wales Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4393248.ece http://tobacco.org/news/269198.html A self-employed painter and decorator has been given a £30 on-the-spot fine for smoking in his own van because it is classified as a workplace. Gordon Williams, 58, went out to buy some teabags for his wife when he was stopped as part of a roadside check by council officials. Moments earlier he had lit a cigarette and was issued the penalty notice under anti-smoking legislation that bans it in the workplace. Mr Williams, a grandfather, is planning to appeal against the fine even though his wife has already paid it. Times Of London UK-Wales Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2453962/Man-on-tea-run-fined-for-smoking-in-workplace-van.html http://tobacco.org/news/269197.html A painter and decorator who lit a cigarette in his own van while on an errand for his wife has been handed a £30 on-the spot fine - for smoking in his "workplace". Gordon Williams, 58, was on his way to buy a packet of teabags when he was pulled over by council officials on the A487 near Aberystwyth and handed a fixed penalty notice. The self-employed decorator from Llanafan, near Aberystwyth, Mid Wales, plans to appeal arguing that the unmarked blue van is for private use and could not be classed as a workplace. The case highlights confusion over how laws which banned smoking in places such as pubs and offices can be interpreted in a wider context. Electronic Telegraph UK-Wales Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038301/Painter-given-30-fine-smoking-work--van.html http://tobacco.org/news/269196.html For painter and decorator Gordon Williams, his van is simply a means of getting from A to B. But council officials chose to give the vehicle a more lofty status. When they spotted him behind the wheel with a cigarette, they handed him an on-the-spot fine of £30 - for smoking in his place of work. The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday UK-Wales Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7524526.stm http://tobacco.org/news/269191.html A painter and decorator from Ceredigion says he is "dumbfounded" after being slapped with a �30 fine for smoking a cigarette in his own van. Gordon Williams says he had popped to the shops earlier this month, when he was pulled over by council officials. "I was told that because my van is my place of work I had broken the smoking laws," he said. A council spokesman said Mr Williams had acknowledged the offence and elected to pay the fixed penalty. . . . A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said: "The smoke-free regulations state that a vehicle shall be smoke-free if it is used for work by more than one person, regardless of whether they are in the vehicle at the same time, to protect everyone who uses the vehicle from the harmful effects of exposure to second-hand smoke, regardless of when they use the vehicle. "Smoking is permitted in vehicles used for work purposes that are for the sole use of the driver and are not used as a workplace by anyone else, either as a driver or a passenger." BBC Online UK-Wales Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2008/07/19/minister-quits-after-smoking-ban-breach-55578-21368692/ http://tobacco.org/news/268949.html HERITAGE Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas dramatically quit the Assembly cabinet last night after it emerged that he was told to leave a pub by bar staff for breaking the smoking ban. It was the latest in a series of gaffes by the accident prone minister . . . He said: "I walked into the Eli Jenkins with Rhodri to buy him a drink. "We were standing by the bar when the lady behind the bar noticed he had a cigar in his hand - that was the first time I had noticed it - and said he would have to go outside to smoke that. "He said, 'I'm terribly sorry, I didn't realise', or something like that, and left." Daily Post North Wales UK-Wales Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/18/heritage-minister-rhodri-glyn-thomas-quits-91466-21368223/ http://tobacco.org/news/268947.html NATIONAL Assembly Culture Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas has sensationally resigned after being told to leave a pub for smoking a cigar. Plaid Cymru’s Mr Thomas quit following a meeting with Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones in Caernarfon. . . . Mr Thomas’s letter said: “In the light of the publicity that has been following me in the last weeks I feel that my position in the Government is no longer sustainable. Further comments would be bound to follow. It has been a privilege to be part of this Government during this exceedingly exciting period.” . . . “I wish you well both personally and in your future career.” Breaking the smoking ban in Wales carries a £50 fixed penalty fine. WalesOnline UK-Wales Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/2008/07/18/smoking-minister-is-asked-to-leave-pub-91466-21368062/ http://tobacco.org/news/268946.html Welsh Assembly minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas had to leave a pub when he was seen with a cigar. An onlooker said Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas wandered in with it on Wednesday night, apparently not realising what he was doing. When a member of staff at the Eli Jenkins in Cardiff pointed out the lit cigar in his hand, Mr Thomas apologised and went back outside. The pub is well known to journalists, politicians and staff at the nearby National Assembly. WalesOnline UK-Wales Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/columnists/2008/07/20/cigar-just-burnt-the-final-hole-91466-21371658/ http://tobacco.org/news/268944.html LET'S get this straight: Rhodri Glyn Thomas was not asked to resign from the Assembly Government because he absent- mindedly wandered into a pub while still puffing on a cigar. The headline on yesterday's Western Mail got it right: "Culture Minister resigns after cigar-in-pub blunder". Chronologically, this is correct. Not "because of" or "due to". Because it is not as simple, as some are suggesting, that this was a wildly disproportionate act by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones. . . . The fact is that what no-one, surprisingly, has yet termed 'cigargate', was simply the straw that broke the camel's back in what sources say have been concerns about Mr Thomas' behaviour stretching back to before his well-publicised gaffe at the Welsh Book of the Year ceremony. WalesOnline UK-Wales Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/29/ivf-equality-up-in-smoke-91466-21168058/ http://tobacco.org/news/268817.html SMOKERS have been banned from having IVF treatment, Wales on Sunday can reveal. Hospitals have been accused of rationing IVF by denying the treatment to smokers. And it is not just childless women that are being forced to give up the habit before they are considered for the fertility treatment. Health Commission Wales, the country's main health watchdog, said their partners must also quit smoking before the treatment is given. . . . A spokesperson for Health Commission Wales confirmed the policy. He said: "Couples or single women that smoke will only be accepted on to the IVF treatment waiting list if they agree to take part in a supported programme of smoking cessation and must be non-smoking at time of treatment. This is because smoke inhalation has a negative impact on the effectiveness of IVF treatment." But Infertility UK, which represents patients, slammed the rules and said it was denying people their fundamental right to have children. WalesOnline UK-Wales Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT