Smoke ban report ‘seriously deficient’

A GOVERNMENT-commissioned report has been unable to establish if individual pubs and restaurants will suffer financially as a result of the smoking ban.

While its authors' say international studies show a ban will not affect the hospitality sector as a whole, they admit it is impossible to predict the effect of the ban on individual premises. They also admit the studies which say it's unlikely to affect the hospitality sector as a whole are "from an economist's perspective ... seriously deficient".

"The most that can be said is that the case for and against a decline in sales remains open," said authors, independent economists Joe Durkan and Moore McDowell, of University College Dublin.

It found publicans who did experience a drop in sales because of the ban could overcome this by engaging in price discrimination, ie charging smokers more for their drinks to compensate for the cost of segregating them.

The report, Smoke-free Policies: Market Research and Literature Review on Economic Effects on the Hospitality Sector, commissioned by the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC), also contained previously published market research undertaken by TNS MRBI. TNS MRBI's Damian Loscher said their research a National Survey of Attitudes and Opinions towards smoking and the smoking ban and a national telephone survey of adults was included to "paint a background picture".

It included statistics that 20% of adults said they would visit pubs to eat more often, versus just 7% believing they would visit less often when the ban kicks in on March 29.

It also found visiting pubs/bars to drink would be broadly unaffected by a smoking ban 12% claiming they would visit less often offset by the 13% of adults expressing the view that they would visit more often.

In its press release welcoming the findings of the report, the OTC chose to concentrate on the finding of the economic review that the ban was unlikely to have an adverse financial effect on the hospitality business as a whole but it failed to mention the authors' view that international studies backing this finding were flawed.

A statement from the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI) said to say the ban would have no negative impact on the hospitality industry was "crystal ball gazing ... theoretical and totally against the reality of New York since the smoking ban was implemented".

Iarnród Éireann is of the opinion the ban will have a positive economic impact on its travel trade. A statement issued yesterday by the company said it would save it an estimated €200,000 annually in cleaning and damage costs on trains and in stations.

It said smoking will not be permitted in enclosed station buildings and waiting areas, including fully-roofed platforms.