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Campaigners welcome smoking ban
Health campaigners have welcomed a vote paving the way for a ban on smoking in all pubs, clubs and restaurants in England from the summer of 2007.
Deborah Arnott, of anti-smoking group Ash, said she was “amazed” and “very delighted” by the Commons decision.
MPs voted on Tuesday by a margin of 200 votes to impose a ban on smoking in all enclosed spaces, despite months of wrangling over the issue.
Opponents say the ban is an infringement of civil liberties.
Hotel rooms exempt
Labour MPs were given a free vote amid fears they could rebel against plans to exempt private clubs and non-food pubs.
The total ban will extend to all enclosed areas except private homes, residential care homes, hospitals, prisons and hotel bedrooms.
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said the change would “save thousands of people’s lives”.
Cancer Research UK said it was the biggest step forward in public health for half a century while the British Heart Foundation described the decision as “the best possible Valentine’s gift from MPs to bar workers”.
Public health minister Caroline Flint told BBC News the ban would lead to a cultural change in England.
“We have this huge opportunity and we have got to make it work – to encourage more people to give up smoking, but also to create a different culture,” she said.
Earlier, Ms Flint said fines for failing to stop people smoking in restricted areas would go up by more than 10 times from £200 to £2,500.
‘Street smoking’
Simon Clark, director of smoking support group Forest, conceded that the pro-smoking lobby had “lost the battle but not necessarily the war”.
“People will continue to smoke and the idea that people are all going to give up smoking simply because they can’t smoke in a pub is nonsense,” he told BBC News.
“But one of the problems with the ban when it comes in, will be that people will move into the street, they’ll smoke more at home, and it could end up being counter-productive.”
Chris Ogden, director of trade and industry affairs at the Tobacco Manufacturers Association, expressed his “disappointment” at the decision.
“It goes against the government’s own manifesto commitment,” he told BBC Radio Five Live.
“The fact is that many thousands, millions of adults will choose to smoke on an informed basis and we will continue to serve that market both domestically and globally.”
Many MPs opposed a smoking ban on civil liberties grounds.
A total smoking ban is due to come into force in Scotland next month, and Northern Ireland is set to follow suit in April, next year.
The Health Bill gives the Welsh Assembly the right to decide for itself whether to implement a ban it has already twice approved in principle.
Three choices
The Cabinet originally proposed prohibiting smoking only in pubs serving food, in line with Labour’s election manifesto.
A free vote was offered after many Labour MPs, fearing a partial ban could increase health inequalities among customers and staff, threatened to rebel.
Ministers came up with three choices: a total ban; exempting private clubs; or exempting clubs and pubs not serving food.
MPs overwhelmingly voted for a complete ban with Prime Minister Tony Blair and Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt effectively voting against their own policy.
In the Commons votes, MPs first ended an exemption for pubs not serving food by 453 votes to 125, a majority of 328, and then to extend the ban to private clubs by 384 votes to 184, a majority of 200.
Conservative MPs were offered a free vote on the issue.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said ministers had “put forward proposals which their own backbenchers thought were completely unworkable” but he hailed the result as “a very important step”.
And Liberal Democrat health spokesman Steve Webb hailed the result as “good news for the health and safety of people who work in public places.”
Well at least I know I can go to my regular and still smoke…..Barry has had a sign up for over 12 months saying that smoking will never be banned in his pub as long as he runs it….
We are all gonna end up like school kids, hiding behind the bike sheds tabbing up! Ah well at least we will all be able to admire each others bikes!
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