Martin stands firm despite claim 64,000 jobs at risk

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin has rejected a call for compromise on the smoking ban, despite an A&L Goodbody Consultants’ report produced yesterday which claims up to 64,000 people could face redundancy as a result of his plans.

The Goodbody report, which was commissioned and paid for by the hospitality industry, also claims the overall cost of the ban could top €1 billion.

Yesterday, Health Minister Micheál Martin rejected the conjecture that there will be negative economic impact due to the ban.