MP calls for smoke ban exemptions
Health Secretary Alan Johnson has defended the smoking ban after an MP lodged a petition calling for partial exemptions for pubs.
Johnson: Blanket ban creates level playing field
MP Daniel Kawczynski wants smoking allowed in up to 20% of pubs’ interiors — because “the current ban on smoking in public places leaves smokers exposed to the elements of the British winter”.
The Tory MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham said it’s “unfair to treat bars and pubs the same as other public places when it comes to smoking, as smoking tobacco is something people traditionally do in bars and pubs”.
Johnson replied that a blanket ban “created a level playing field within the hospitality sector”.
This “was seen to be the fairest solution, whilst also protecting workers and the wider public from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke”.
Johnson added: “Parliament also gave consideration to exposure to the elements of a British winter for those who go outside and smoke.
“It is generally recognised that winters in this country are much less harsh than in other countries such as Canada and Norway, where comprehensive smoke-free laws had been successfully enacted before the law in England.”
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