| Smoking will be banned in all pubs,
clubs and workplaces from next year after historic votes in the Commons last
night. After last-minute appeals from health campaigners, MPs opted for a
blanket prohibition which will start in summer 2007, ending months of argument
over whether smokers should be barred in pubs and restaurants only. They voted
to ban smoking in all pubs and clubs by 384 to 184, a surprisingly large
majority of 200．Smoking will still be allowed in the home and in places
considered to be homes, such as prisons, care homes and hotels. Smokers lighting up in banned areas will face a fixed penalty notice of ￡ 50 and spot fines of ￡ 200 will be introduced for failing to display no-smoking signs, with the possible penalty, if the issue goes to court, increasing to ￡ 1,000. Carpline Flint, the Public Health Minister, also announced that the fine for failing to stop people smoking in banned areas would be increased to ￡ 2,500-more than ten times the ￡ 200 originally proposed. The Bill also allows the Government to increase the age for buying cigarettes. Ministers will consult on raising it from 16 to 18. The Bill now goes to the Lords but will be through by the summer recess. Even a plan to allow smoking to continue in private clubs was thrown out as MPs on all sides were given permission to vote with their conscience rather than on a party line. Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, said the Health Bill would ban smoking in "virtually every enclosed public place and workplace" in England and save thousands of lives a year. Smoke-free workplaces and public places "will become the norm". She said: "An additional 600,000 people will give up smoking as a result of this law and millions more will be protected from second-hand smoke. " Peter Hollins, director-general of the British Heart Foundation, said: "The vote is a landmark victory for the public health of this country and will save the lives of many people. " |