Scotland to ban smoking in public

SMOKING in public places could be banned in Scotland under radical plans being considered by ministers north of the border, it emerged yesterday.

The Scottish Executive is to seek the public’s views on the matter as part of its Tobacco Action Plan, which is due to be published in the next fortnight.

Among the measures up for discussion is the possibility of introducing a new law which would ban smoking in public.

Similar legislation already exists in parts of the US. Deputy health minister Tom McCabe insisted the Executive would not shy away from such a radical step as it attempts to cut cancer rates in Scotland.

“We want to see a society in which everybody aspires to live a healthy, smoke-free life and has access to the support that can help them realise this ambition,” he said.

“A smoke-free Scotland may be a long-term vision but it is a vision that demands our action.”

A Scottish Executive spokesman said the public consultation exercise was set to be launched in the spring.

“We want to see what people think of smoking in public places and passive smoking and one of the options could be legislation bringing in a ban,” he said.

“But we can only decide where we want to go once we’ve taken everyone’s views into account.”

Scotland has some of the worst rates of tobacco-related illness in western Europe, with around 13,000 deaths each year, and the highest smoking rates in the UK.