§ Lord Chadlingtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to ban smoking in public places. [HL1110]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Government have no plans to ban smoking in public places. We have consistently said that smoke-free public places are the ideal. We do not think a universal ban on smoking in all public places is justified while we can make fast and substantial progress in partnership with industry. Over the years we have seen real increases in smoke-free workplaces. In 1996, 40 per cent of people reported their workplace as being completely smoke-free. The latest figures for 2002 show this has risen to 50 per cent, with an overall figure of 86 per cent of all workplaces having banned smoking completely or limited it to smoking rooms. We look forward to faster and more substantial progress from employers and businesses.