Health, Safety and Environment

Smoking Ban Dates Announced

7 December 2006, updated 8 March 2007

A series of ministerial announcements have been made in respect of the forthcoming Smoking Bans for England, Wales and Northern Ireland that follow similar bans already in place in the Irish Republic and Scotland.

SMOKING BANS DATES:

• Irish Republic: March 2004
• Scotland: March 2006
• Northern Ireland: April 2007
• Wales: April 2007
• England: July 2007

England

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said the ban would be introduced in England on 1 July 2007 describing it as a triumph for public health and a huge step forward for health protection that would save thousands of people's lives. Smokefree legislation will protect everyone from the harm of second-hand smoke when working, socialising and relaxing and will provide a more supportive environment for smokers who wish to give up.

The scientific and medical evidence is clear - second-hand smoke kills, causing a range of serious medical conditions including lung cancer, heart disease, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This legislation will help to prevent the unnecessary deaths caused every year from second-hand smoke, and recognises that there is absolutely no safe level of exposure.

The Health Secretary also launched a new Smokefree England campaign that will help the country's 3.7 million businesses including nearly 200,000 pubs, bars, restaurants and other leisure outlets prepare for the implementation of the legislation. The government predicts about 600,000 people will give up smoking as a result of the law change.

Private Vehicles

Vehicles used for business purposes will also be affected by the new law. These include light and heavy goods vehicles, and public transport such as taxis, buses, trains and ferries. All private and company cars are classed as private vehicles and are therefore exempt from the new Smokefree legislation. Taxis are the only cars covered by the smoke-free legislation because they are classed as public transport.

Smoking Shelters

The new law will ban smoking in all places that are "fully enclosed" or "substantially enclosed".

• "Fully enclosed" is self explanatory.
• "Substantially enclosed" means a premise or shelter that has a roof and less than half of the total areas of walls have openings other than windows or doors. This is known as the 50% rule. Therefore a smoking shelter will only meet the legal requirements if more than 50% of sides or walls are openings.