Smoking
This is a strange situation....
Pubs and bars preparing and serving food will be smoke-free - probably from 2007
Restaurants will be smoke-free
Membership clubs will be exempt
‘Non-food’ pubs and bars will be free to choose whether to allow smoking, or
be smoke-free
Smoking in the bar area will be prohibited everywhere, with further consultation to be carried out on the possibility of “discrete smoking rooms or areas to protect staff”
The policy will be monitored and reviewed after three years.
If people are caught smoking then they are fined.
There is a full ban in Northern Ireland.... their thoughts on the discussion. These are the differences in smoking rules throughout the UK. This is the view in the rest of the world towards smoking.
These are some of the views of the industry - here, here, and here, taken from the Publican. This is a different reaction from a company in hospitality.
Now, I don't know about you, but doesn't the Government derive an awful lot of revenue from taxes on cigarettes etc? If people don't smoke in premises, then where is the money going to come from....probably motorists...yet again.
Seriously though, can't the government allow the obvious thing? By that, I mean having a separate room with sealed doors, perhaps two sets, as in an airlock. The airlock would be fitted with an appropriate extraction unit.
The 'smoking room' could be at a lower pressure, thereby stopping the smoke from escaping. This would also be fitted with appropriate extraction units of a reasonable number. I don't believe that this is not a reasonable proposal.
In this way, you can have a smoking area, as well as a smoke-free environment for guests in the food areas. The staff would also be working for the most part in a smoke-free environment, except when serving guests in the smoking area.
I think that people have the choice to smoke or not, it isn't up to government to be 'nanny-state' about it. Give the business' the choice.
Just in case you are wondering, I don't smoke, but I know enough people who do. Forcing people to smoke outside is fine when the weather is good...what about the middle of winter?