Health board pub owners criticise ban

EIGHT prominent health board members, who are publicans, have criticised the Government’s smoking ban and called for a compromise deal.

The eight, including five Fianna Fail councillors, have rejected charges that their opposition to Health Minister Micheal Martin's controversial proposal constitutes a conflict of interest.

Last week, politician and publican Val Hanley resigned from the Western Health Board. There are ten other pub-owning politicians sitting on health boards. All but two of them are vehemently opposed to the smoking ban.