Bars and restaurants should be given "one last chance" to avoid smoking ban

2.07.15pm GMT Tue 25th Nov 2003

In response to calls for a smoking ban in public places by the Royal College of Physicians and 17 other medical colleges, West Midlands MEP Liz Lynne has said that bars and restaurants should be given one final chance to improve their record in providing properly enforced no smoking areas to avoid an outright ban.

Liz said: "I have opposed and will continue to oppose a smoking ban at EU level, as it should be up to Member States themselves to make such a decision. But it is quite proper for the UK Parliament to consider such a ban as there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it would save thousands of lives and improve the quality of life for many more.

"Time and goodwill is rapidly running out for the proprietors of pubs and restaurants who continue to flout even the current weak voluntary code. Too often, even when no-smoking areas are provided, they are not clearly delineated, poorly ventilated and only accessible via areas where smoking is permitted. This effectively bars a chronic asthma sufferer from even entering the building.

"The period for excuses and half-hearted measures is over. The industry must turn the situation around within a matter of months, or the pressure for an outright ban may become irresistible.

Liz has spent time examining how the policies of other European countries have worked in practice. Earlier this year, she launched a report in Brussels by the European Network for Smoking Prevention, which looked at the policy for non-smoking sections in five EU countries.

"The evidence from some EU countries suggests that in a vast majority of cases, properly enforced non-smoking sections do not result in a loss of customers and can even increase business," she said.