Smoking ban to proceed despite party dissent, insists Ahern

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday insisted that deep divisions within his party over the smoking ban would not stop its introduction next January.

Rejecting Fine Gael suggestions that Fianna Fáil party disagreements over the ban were undermining Government decisions, Mr Ahern told the Dáil that the workplace prohibition of smoking would go ahead as planned in January.

“From January 2004, smoking will be prohibited in the workplace. The primary purpose of the provision is to protect workers and the public from exposure to a harmful, toxic, environmental smoke,” he said.