HC Deb 26 February 1988 vol 128 c353W
Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will give details of arrangements for designated non-smoking areas in Government buildings.

Mr. Luce

[holding answer 25 February 1988]: This information is not held centrally. It is for each Government Department to determine arrangements for non-smoking areas in its buildings taking account of local circumstances.

Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make it his policy to ban smoking in all Government offices; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Luce

[holding answer 25 February 1988]: It is for individual Government Departments to decide what measures to take to restrict smoking in their offices. I encourage Departments to take whatever steps are practicable to achieve this and have asked Departments to give every encouragement to local managers to conduct surveys of the attitudes of their staff with a view to extending non-smoking areas in offices.

In my own Department, management, staff and trade unions are co-operating in a trial ban on smoking at the workplace. I will pass on the lessons from this exercise to other Government Departments.