HL Deb 16 October 2003 vol 653 cc128-9WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which organisation has the contract for the removal of cigarette ends from the entrance to government offices in Northern Ireland; and how much it costs each year. [HL4493]

Baroness Amos

Where cigarette ends are placed in receptacles at the entrance to government offices in Northern Ireland they are removed by contracted cleaning firms as part of the cleaning contract for those offices.

Cigarette ends discarded otherwise at the entrance to government offices are removed by maintenance staff employed to maintain the government estate or by staff employed by local authorities to remove street litter. The actual cost of removing cigarette ends is not available but the estimated cost of cleaning government offices in Northern Ireland is £2.7 million per annum.

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many smoking rooms are maintained by the Northern Ireland Civil Service; how frequently staff are permitted to visit such rooms and for what length of time: what are the annual staffing and office space costs involved; and when these arrangements will be terminated in line with their policy on smoking. [HL4536]

Baroness Amos

There are some 144 smoking rooms currently in operation in Northern Ireland Civil Service premises.

Although no central guidance has been issued on the frequency or length of absences permitted in order to use smoking rooms, line managers are required to ensure that any individual cases of abuse of the facility are identified and dealt with quickly.

The cost of providing and maintaining the smoking rooms is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The NICS has been trying to encourage staff to give up smoking through its workplace health improvement programme. This programme is designed to raise awareness of a range of health issues, including smoking, and offers practical advice to encourage staff to adopt/maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The NICS smoking policy is currently being reviewed and it is anticipated that this review will have a significant impact on the current position.