What the Sunday papers said
A ban on smoking in public places, including pubs and shopping centres, is supported by a majority of MPs, according to a poll. A sample of 154 MPs showed that Labour members are more keen on prohibition than Tories. While 88 per cent of Labour MPs support a ban in restaurants, just 65 per cent do so in pubs - The Independent on Sunday
In a focus on 'the streets of binge Britain', Stephen Green, Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire warns that If we get licensing reform wrong "and end up with a 24-hour version of what we have now, the social consequences will be horrendous." There has, he says, been a cross-departmental fudge between the Home Office and the DCMS, warning "it's clear to me they are not working together" - The Observer-
Whitbread is considering a £1bn sale of Marriott hotels as part of a strategic review of the business launched by Alan Parker, the new chief executive. Executives close to the company say that options include extracting value from the hotel portfolio through a sale and leaseback or even an outright sale - The Sunday Telegraph
Two MPs responsible for scrutinising legislation to allow a dramatic rise in casinos in Britain have received thousands of pounds in consultancy fees from a public relations firm that advises London Clubs International. The 16-member committee of Lords and MPs was chaired by John Greenway, a Conservative MP, and included Alan Meale, a Labour MP. Both receive between £5,000 and £10,000 a year as consultants to College Hill, a financial public relations firm that works for London Clubs - The Sunday Telegraph
Hotel group Intercontinental is expected to announce the return of up to £500m to investors, as it confirms plans for a £1bn sale of many of its British properties. The group, demerged from the leisure giant Six Continents in April 2003, is likely to tell shareholders that it intends to raise the money by selling 60 of the 90 properties it owns in Britain. Most of those to be sold are Holiday Inns - The Sunday Times
Danish brewer Carlsberg says it is in daily contact with Diageo in an attempt to resolve a dispute that has seen up to 250 Dublin publicans refuse to stock the lager brand, which Diageo supplies in the Republic. Publicans are furious with Diageo over a price increase introduced in June. Margrethe Skov, Carlsberg's Copenhagen-based public affairs director, stressed that the Danish brewer was on "good terms" with Diageo but added that the group was "not happy" that the lager had been removed from a large number of Dublin pubs - The Sunday Times (Irish edition)
