The days of smoke-filled pubs are well and truly numbered ­

Related tags Pubs Smoking Smoking ban Tobacco Government

At the same time, research undertaken for the Greater London Assembly suggested up to 1,000 Londoners died each year from the effects of passive...

At the same time, research undertaken for the Greater London Assembly suggested up to 1,000 Londoners died each year from the effects of passive smoking. The research was particularly scathing on the pub and leisure industry for failing to take steps to protect both customers and employees. In recent weeks, the ante has been raised. Just before Christmas, Green King Pub Partner's managing director David Elliott said he would like to see a total ban on smoking in pubs. Earlier this year, the Welsh Assembly entered the ring when members voted 39 to 11 in favour of introducing smoking bans in any public place that was deemed appropriate. The vote was prompted by Labour member Alan Pugh moving an all-party motion calling for a ban to be introduced in two stages. The first stage of the ban would apply to shops, retail centres, cafés, restaurants and public transport. The second phase would cover premises where children were not allowed to enter, such as pubs and nightclubs. Opponents of a ban are hoping that the restricted timetable at Westminster will work against the Welsh Bill being allocated a slot and hence limit its chances of entering the statute books. If a ban was introduced, it would have a "devastating" effect on Wales' 1,000 pubs, says the trade body Licensed Victuallers Wales. LVW chief executive Gareth John warns: "It would hit the very pubs that are already struggling. Figures show that around a quarter of pubs in Wales are turning over £84,000 or less and, when you take into account rent and overheads, that leaves many of them in serious trouble. A ban on smoking would be the final nail in the coffin for many of them." Further signs that smoking in pubs is on many a Government's hit list come from Ireland. Health minister Michael Martin has announced that he wants a total ban in all pubs, restaurants and work places. His call was supported by a report commissioned jointly by state organisations the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority. The report dismissed submissions by Irish licensees that expensive ventilation systems they had installed minimised the risk to non-smokers. It said: "Ventilation systems are unlikely to provide the basic human right of good quality indoor air." The report went on to say: "Smoking bans remain the only viable control measure to ensure that workers and patrons of the hospitality industry are protected from exposure." The report notes that bar-counter staff may receive greater exposure to "mainstream" and "sidestream" smoke. Mainstream is defined as smoke inhaled and exhaled by smokers directly from the tobacco product. Sidestream is a mixture of smoke given out from smouldering tobacco, contaminants emitted during the puffs, and contaminants that diffuse through the cigarette paper and the mouth-end of the cigarette between puffs. The report added that the scientific community now accepts that environmental tobacco smoke is carcinogenic. The growing awareness that it is harmful to health puts an onus on Governments to safeguard public health by providing legislation to protect the general public from passive or involuntary smoking. Martin had originally proposed a ban on smoking while food was being served in pubs and restaurants, and also around the bar areas of pubs. This was considered by some as being impractical and unworkable. Others think that Martin's latest proposal is too extreme, and that this will probably be modi-fied so that it mirrors his original proposal. There's no doubting that the idea of a total ban has raised the hackles of the Irish licensed trade. However, a poll of the Irish Independent newspaper reveals that 63% think a total ban is "workable". In Scotland, it's the same story. Ken Gibson, a member of the Scottish National Party, is proposing a bill in the Scottish Parliament that aims at banning smoking from public places where food is prepared or served. Gordon Millar, chief executive of the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, told MA's sister publication MA Scotland: "The threat of legislation is ever present. "The licensed trade cannot sweep the issue under the carpet and think it will go away. They must consider the issue seriously, otherwise the implications could be considerable." Around 30% of Scots smoke, and banning smoking in pubs could have major financial consequences for licensees. Millar observes: "If smoking was banned in [Scottish] pubs by legislation and the 30% voted with their feet, then around £140m revenue could be lost. Think about that in terms of the drinks trade and the consequent loss of jobs. Of course, that is the ultimate risk, but everyone should be aware of it." English licensees should also be in no doubt that there is much to lose if the Government follows the lead of the likes of Norway, Canada, and the USA, where total or partial bans are in force. The Charter Group, which was set up three years ago to co-ordinate the leisure industries' response to the Government-initiated Smoking in Public Places Charter, is now awaiting the results of surveys to see how well pubs have performed in complying with the charter. The charter requires licensees to inform customers and staff of the smoking policy adopted in their pubs. The most visual aspect is signage outside the pub to indicate which of five concepts has been adopted. These are: smoking not allowed anywhere; smoking allowed throughout the pub; smoking allowed in separate areas; ventilated premises with smoking allowed throughout, or ventilated premises with separate smoking areas. Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers and chairman of the Charter Group, says more than 400 questionnaires have seen sent out to pub and restaurant groups, asking for details of compliance with the charter. The deadline for receipt of these questionnaires is now only one week away and Bish is urging everyone to reply. To comply with an agreement reached with the Department of Health, the pub industry must have 50% of all pubs complying with the charter by having appropriate signage ­ and of these, at least 35% must have no-smoking areas or ventilation systems that met the standards set out in the charter. This survey will be followed up at the back end of February by independent research (by consultancy CGA) of around 4,000 pubs to check on the policy adopted at these outlets. This will then be used to get an indication of how the industry has responded nationwide, including freeholds and pubs that do not belong to larger pubcos. The findings of these two studies will then be submitted to the Government. This is expected by Easter. Although Bish says "I won't be relaxed" until both studies are completed, he was predicting: "I think we will scrape in and with a little bit to spare" in meeting the target figures. However, he feels the Government could have done more to raise awareness of the charter and says the pub industry has been unfairly treated. "It is the Public Places Charter, not the Pub Charter. The Government has been less than pro-active. The charter could have been promoted in the likes of libraries and museums to make members of the public more aware that it was not just pubs. "The joy of the charter is that it is the best act in town. It's not perfect, but it is the best there is. There has been some pretty loose talk that self regulation isn't working but it clearly is. And to say that ventilation isn't working flies in the face of logic." If, as a number of observers report, the industry does meet the targets, it could well avert the imposition of a draft Approved Code of Practice (ACoP), which has been prepared by the Health and Safety Commission. The ACoP contains some fairly draconian measures on smoking in public places that would seriously dent pub trade income. Even if the pub industry wins this encounter, it can be sure that the matter won't rest among those who want to see smoking outlawed in pubs in the same way that it is happening overseas. It is often said that what happens in the USA, happens over here a decade or so later. If that's the case, then last y

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