Politicians to be polled on smoking ban changes

A NATIONAL survey of TDs and senators is being conducted with a view to garnering support for changes to the proposed Government laws on smoking in the workplace.

This initiative is being undertaken by the Cork Alliance for Civil Liberties, which believes locations such as prisons, psychiatric hospitals and shelters for the homeless should be excluded from the legislation.

Also, private householders, like those who require the assistance of carers, au pairs and childminders, could be held legally accountable if they smoke within their own homes in the presence of these employees, under the terms of the amendments to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulations.

Speaking on behalf of he CACL, Mr Martin Murphy said refugee hostels and retirement homes should also be exempted.

Mr Murphy stressed that an estimated 90% of all prisoners and 80% of psychiatric hospital patients smoke.

The smoking ban would be a denial of their civil liberties, he said.

Despite the pressure from lobbyists in many quarters, the chairman of the Office of Tobacco Control, Dr Michael Boland, has said he is confident the smoking ban will go ahead as planned on January next.

Meanwhile, a group of senior Irish academics in medicine and allied professions said the entire community of health professionals was speaking with one voice about the enormous harm caused by the tobacco epidemic.

Some of the most senior academic figures in Irish medicine signed the statement, which supports the proposed ban on smoking in the workplace, including bars and restaurants.

The statement also recognises the key role that price increases play in reducing tobacco consumption, especially among young people.

It concludes that the ban is essential “to reduce the toll of illness that smoking inflicts on thousands of Irish people every year”.