The Claw weighs in against smoking ban

Former Irish international rugby star Peter Clohessy added his voice today to growing opposition to a smoking ban due to be introduced in pubs.

Clohessy – who owns two pubs and a nightclub in Limerick – said he was calling for a compromise on the planned blanket ban.

He said: “I have invested a lot of money in my businesses and I can’t afford the losses that will come with this.

“I’ve been smoking since I was a teenager, even when I was playing rugby, and it’s never affected me.”

Mr Clohessy was speaking after a press conference in Dublin in which a group representing bar and restaurant owners urged the Government to agree to a compromise.

The Irish Hospitality Industry Alliance launched a study on the potential implications of the move.

It claimed that if the ban created a 30% fall in sales in the hospitality sector the total cost to the Government could be up to a €1bn.

IHIA chairman Finbar Murphy said: “This document will hopefully be a wake-up call to policy makers to think through the full impact of the proposed ban on smoking in hospitality venues.”

He accused ministers of a “zero tolerance” attitude to the issue and said they should fully examine the impact a ban would have before going ahead with it.

“This document highlights how little discussion takes place in Ireland before regulations are made,” Mr Murphy added.

It was claimed in the report that environmental tobacco smoke claimed an average of just 13 deaths a year in the hospitality industry, rather than the hundreds claimed by the government.

It also said that the life expectancy of a Dublin bar worker had risen to 77 years, in line with the national average.

The report estimated that 148 full-time staff would be required to police the ban when it comes into effect on January 1 2004.

Author Peter Brennan said: “The IHIA argues that it would be a better use of taxpayers’ money if instead of recruiting nearly 150 additional tobacco inspectors ... that this funding be used to finance an aggressive anti-smoking campaign aimed at children and teenagers in particular.”

The plan to introduce the ban has met outrage from publicans who claim it is unworkable. Some have said they may introduce outdoor seating areas in a bid to get around the ban.

And there have been warnings that violent scenes could erupt when pub doormen try to enforce the rule; in New York a bouncer was shot dead after a confrontation with a smoker.

But health experts and other campaigners have welcomed the move, with health minister Micheál Martin adamant it will still go ahead as planned.

In a statement issued today he reiterated that there were no grounds for claiming it will have a negative economic impact.

He said: “This is a health issue and the licensed trade should be considering the 70% of customers that do not smoke that may be attracted into their premises, due to the smoke-free measures.”

Mr Martin also said that revenues had continued to increase in California, where a similar ban was enforced in both bars and restaurants.

He said recent figures from New York showed there had been an increase in employment in the hospitality sector.

The study launched today by the IHIA was drawn up by A&L Goodbody Consulting.