Smoking - we want facts

Popping into a number of particularly fine pubs these past few weeks - all award winners and well known to their peers - it's striking how positive they all are about next year's smoking ban.

Even the pubs among them that don't want it because they have many smoking customers feel confident they can weather the storm and come out the other end with stronger businesses.

In the MA last week, we published a fascinating set of insights into how Scottish licensees had prepared for last weekend's ban - and two aspects really stood out.

The first was that hosts who had really thought about the future of their operations were best placed to prosper. That's been the lesson from Ireland, and it looks like being the lesson from Scotland too. The implications are obvious: don't bury your head in the sand and moan about how unfair it all is; talk to your pubco or business adviser about how to attract new customers and new profit streams.

The second striking aspect in our feature was how authorities can scupper even the best efforts of hosts trying to adapt. In Scotland, the ban has been rushed in by politicians - so unsurprisingly, it's been bodged.

Guidelines and regulations were issued far too late. That led to huge confusion among hosts about what they could or could not do. Planning

and environmental health officers were especially at fault. Their differing

interpretations of the law have caused confusion and chaos. English and Welsh licensees will recall a similar situation with the licensing changes we've just been through - and the problems they're causing many landlords.

They will have cheered when the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister reported last week how badly the DCMS bungled the new law's introduction. But most of all, they will want some reassurance that smoking guidelines are issued quickly so they can begin planning for when the ban begins.

Clearly it would make sense to see how Scotland's ban is working before

issuing final guidelines. But if that is the plan, it must not hold up clarification on vital issues like the size and shape of outdoor smoking shelters.

Otherwise, those licensees who are confident now will very quickly be

changing their tune.