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Category secondhand smoke, stop smoking,
giving up smoking, smoking ban England, UK
All enclosed
public places and workplaces will become smoke free from 1st
July 2007, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt announced
today.
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said:
"This is a triumph for public health and a huge step forward
for health protection. Thousands of people's lives will be
saved and the health of thousands more protected. Smokefree
legislation will protect everyone from the harm of
secondhand 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 - secondhand
smoke kills, causing a range of serious medical conditions
including lung cancer, heart disease, and sudden infant
death syndrome "SIDS" in children. This legislation will
help to prevent the unnecessary deaths caused every year
from secondhand smoke, and recognises that there is
absolutely no safe level of exposure.
"Never has a health issue created such debate in Parliament,
across government, through the business and the voluntary
sectors, and amongst the general public. And the more it has
been debated, the more people have responded and pushed the
limits to ensure that enclosed public places and workplaces
in England will become wholly smokefree.
"Where countries have gone smokefree the impact on the
health of staff has been immediate and positive. And the
experience of going smokefree in Ireland, Scotland, New York
and elsewhere has been good for business.
"I would like to thank business groups, the leisure and
hospitality industries and the many health organisations
that have been involved for their support, which has helped
to make this legislation a reality.
"It has been an incredible journey, but we still have a lot
of work to do to support businesses to be ready for the
implementation of the new laws."
The Health Secretary also launched a new Smokefree England
campaign which 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.
With the implementation of the smokefree elements of the
Health Act 2006, from 6am on the 1st July 2007, virtually
all enclosed public places and workplaces will become
smokefree environments, including:
The law will
also mean that indoor smoking rooms, still common in
workplaces, will no longer be allowed. So anyone wishing to
smoke will have to go outside instead.
Friday 1 December 2006
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