Liverpool smoking bill in Lords arena
The House of Lords is set to debate Liverpool City Council's plan for a complete ban on smoking in public places in the city next month.
Liverpool City Council wants fines of up to £5,000 for any workplace including pubs that allows smoking in premises in the city under its own Prohibition of Smoking in Places of Work Bill.
The bill was presented to Parliament in November and is due to be debated in the Lords soon after 7 February, the deadline for objections to the bill to be lodged.
The bill is due to be looked at by a committee of five peers in April. This group will report on their findings to the House of Commons probably after the next election, which is likely to be on 5 May.
Meanwhile, Cardiff MP Julie Morgan is due to introduce a Private Members Bill for a ban on smoking in public places in Wales this month, in a bid to allow the Welsh Assembly to impose a ban ahead of England. The Welsh Assembly has already voted for a ban but does not have the power to enforce it.
The British Medical Associa-tion is urging doctors in Wales to write to their MPs to persuade them to support Morgan's Smoking in Public Places (Wales) Bill.
In Northern Ireland, plans for a smoking ban as part of a 20-year health strategy have been sent out for public consultation. The three options are: a complete ban; a smoking ban anywhere where food is served (as in England); or more support for people who want to quit.
