§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on(a) the effectiveness of his Department's no-smoking policy and (b) the proportion of his Department's offices that do not allow smoking. [125151]
§ Jane Kennedy(a) My Department has a well established "Smoking Policy" designed to provide smoke-free working conditions for those staff who want them, while offering limited, designated, smoking facilities for smokers and help for those who wish to stop smoking. (b) Practical arrangements for the implementation of the smoking policy are the responsibility of local offices located throughout England and Wales and statistics are not held centrally on how many offices do not allow smoking.
I also refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean) on 14 December 1999, Official Report, column 125W, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Crausby) on 20 January 2000, Official Report, column 527W.