Northern Ireland: Employment and Smoking

HL Deb 18 November 2003 vol 654 cc274-5WA

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether under equality law in Northern Ireland a potential employer is permitted to ask an applicant for a job if he or she is a smoker; if not, why; and whether it is possible for an organisation to employ only non-smokers. [HL5208]

Baroness Amos

There is no equality law in Northern Ireland that deals specifically with the employment of smokers. How employers deal with the issue of employment and smoking is a matter for individual employers.