More staff ‘vital’ to enforce smoke ban

HEALTH inspectors have warned that they have not enough staff or incentive to fully enforce the workplace smoking ban when it comes into effect later this year.

In a letter to the Department of Health, they say that existing vacancies for environmental health officers must be filled urgently and that additional posts must be sanctioned to cope with the extra workload.

The letter, written by their trade union, Impact, states: “Without additional staffing resources it is inevitable that the enforcement of new tobacco control regulations will be inadequate, or that existing environmental health services will be adversely affected.”