Health Bill passes through Lords

The Government's Health Bill - which contains the proposed legislation on the smoking ban - passed through the House of Lords yesterday on its way to becoming law.

One ammendment was tabled in relation to smoking being banned in work vehicles but it was rejected and the Bill will now go back to the House of Commons to achieve Royal Assent.

Lord Warner, the Government's health spokesman in the Lords, thanked the peers for their help in the debates over the last few months and added: "It has been a privilege to have been involved in this important and historic Bill, and to have brought it through the House. ​

"Its impact on protecting the health of the public will be significant."

This Bill's impact on protecting the health of the public will be significant.​Lord Warner.

Lord Faulkner added: "I thank my noble friend Lord Warner for his kind comments and congratulate him on the skill, patience and good humour with which he has taken the Bill through the House. I think he would agree that his task would have been rather more difficult if the Bill had come to this place in exactly the same form in which it entered the House of Commons, with the exemptions it then contained. "Now, though, we have a Bill which in my view, and, I think, in the view of the great majority of noble Lords, will do more for the public health of our country than almost any other measure since the introduction of the Clean Air Acts."​

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Your Comments​

Robert Feal-Martinez via email, 05/07/2006This really is the time for licensees to start worrying, the Bill will receive Royal Assent without the regulations, then we will see exactly the same scenario as with Licensing. We have only got to look to Scotland to see how open ended regulation is being used to further the social engineering which is what this ban is.

Is it any wonder that Lord Faulkerner is pleased he is an ASH supporter?

Sadly the bulk of their Lordships are clinging onto their jobs, they know that Blair will try before he is ousted to abolish the Lords his ultimate goal. We still await a response from the DCA on our Judicial Review, lets hope they don't delay our request for political reasons. I do wish you would all wake up to where this is heading and get on board the bigdebate Freedom to Choose campaign before it is finally too late.

Bob Williams​ via email 05/07/2006"To paraphrase Robert Feal-Martinez, now is the time for licensees to start PLANNING for the ban so that the effects on our business is as positive as we can make it.

The ban looks like it is definitely on the way, and we have a choice to be business like, and treat it like any other threat/opportunity. I don't think we have enough time to wallow in pointless moaning like Robert and his mates would have us do.

I've already spoken to our local planners and they reckon I need to be talking to them a good 4 months before I build any smoking shelters so my advice is to get cracking, support the campaign that the Morning Advertiser is running to get the Regulations out early and get ready.

If you want to go under and provide Robert and his mates with some statistics of pubs closing after the ban, then do as he wants you to and wallow."

Liz Barber​ via email 05/07/2006"I wish Bob Williams happy planning - I'm planning NOT to go to pubs when the ban comes in, as are many of my smoking pals. I am planning NOT to bne made to feel like an outcast and second class citizen, and I am planning NOT to spend my leisure time and money in the UK. Good luck Mr Williams, may I suggest you also build in to your plans the absolute intent of ASH to have smoking banned in beer gardens and sidewalk tables and for the anti drink brigade to demand higher taxes on alcohol and whilst your at it, plan for the ASBO unit to be monitoring the noise from the nasty smojkers it has forced outside, and to use that against you too. Good luck mate, you'll need it, and I'm now off to wallow in the knowledge that the social life and freedoms of our country are hostage to the health freak brigade who seem to feel they own us all and that I voted for the lying stinking nulabour party who have made it so."

Bill Gibson​ via email 05/07/2006"Bob, it is not my job to convince a blind and deaf Government. There was no need to convince them, Europe and in particular Holland has gone in this direction. For your further information I was in discussions with Dr John Reid when he was Health Secretary in July 04 as well as having involvement with the Maltese Government in the introduction of their Smoking Restrictions in Otober 04. The Maltese model was then adopted by Italy therefore I have nothing to convince anyone of...the simple truth is that the debate that is ongoing about the banning of smoking is being manipulated by various lobbies to suit their own agendas.

Wake up to what is happening north of the border...this ban is affecting everyone far beyond that of the Hospitality Sector and will not stop at banning smoking indoors, ASH has confirmed their intentions for all to see.

I take no real pleasure in continually telling the Scottish Executive that I was right once again as and when I am proven so, Bingo is the latest as has Pensioners Clubs earlier. What will a ban on smoking achieve...very little in the way of health benefits, on an economic front, venues are closing and jobs are being lost. The main probeim is that the public has not been consulted about the extent of the ban with smoking being banned in HGV cabs and other commercial vehicles, who is going to police such measures and who can tell an employed driver from an owner/operator as the latter will be allowed to smoke.

Get real Bob..."

Anne Miller​ via email 11/07/2006"My friends and I are thrilled by the ban... at last we'll be able to enjoy going to the pub without having all our clothes stinking of cigarette smoke afterwards. If our local pub plays its cards right it will definitely get more custom, not less after the ban."