As the Department of Health published its smoking cessation figures, a cabinet row has broken out over plans for a partial ban on smoking and has forced the government to delay the publication of a bill on public health.

The Health Improvement Bill was expected to be published today but has been postponed amidst continuing debate over the extent of the ban.

Opposition Response: Liberal Democrats

Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said:

"The Government's proposals on smoking in public places are hopelessly confused.  It looks like the Government's plans are being drawn up on the back of a fag packet. 

"The result of the three month public consultation is being ignored.  The voice of the people is being drowned out by the sound of Cabinet Ministers arguing.

"What is really being compromised here is the health of people who work in smoky environments.  Every concession reduces the life expectancy of people working in bars and clubs."

Opposition Response: Conservatives

Commenting on the smoking cessation figures published today, Shadow Health Minister Tim Loughton said:

“It is worrying that the percentage of people who successfully quit after four weeks remains stubbornly low.  The Government does not publish the longer term success rate, which reveals a dramatic downwards plunge in the number of those who continue not to smoke.

“It is essential that the NHS invests in a wider choice of therapies to help smokers quit smoking over the longer term.  For example, the Scottish Parliament offers their employees the opportunity to attend a course run by the private firm Allen Carr as the success rate of quitting for those attending this course is far higher than for those using NHS treatments which concentrate on nicotine substance patches.  There is no reason why these types of treatment should not be available to many more people where appropriate.

“It is also of great concern that there is no evidence of any significant fall in the percentage of teenager smokers.  It is vital that funds and resources are targeted more effectively at helping young smokers to stop smoking or not to start smoking in the first instance.”

Stakeholder Response: Bingo Association

Sir Peter Fry, Chairman of the Bingo Association told ePolitix:

The Bingo Association whose members own 575 clubs and who have approximately 3 million regular customers, is very concerned that the Government's uncertainty over its proposals for a smoking ban will undermine the overall objective.  The Association is on record as supporting a ban in the interests of the peoples' health, but feels that this must be a total ban. The dangers of a partial ban would not only mean that the improvement in the nation's health would be much less than with a total ban, but also it would encourage displacement of our players into clubs and pubs which are exempt thus further reducing the benefit of the ban.  Indeed the Government's own consultation document calculated that a partial ban could be 40% less effective than a full one.

We further believe that any legislation should be consistent across the whole of the United Kingdom.  Scotland and the proposed legislation in Northern Ireland are already in favour of a total ban, and it seems that Wales will follow suit.  We are particularly concerned that if smoking will be allowed then those premises that can legally allow children to enter will continue to put their health at risk.  The whole issue will become even more confusing if different restrictions apply in different parts of the country.

The Association believes that there should be very limited exceptions to any ban and should not include hospitality and leisure industries.

We do accept that any ban will be a challenge for our members.  However, if not total this will put the future of many bingo clubs, particularly the smaller ones, at risk.  Resultant closures will remove the opportunity for many people to continue to enjoy what is a favourite leisure activity and one which is highly valued particularly by the 75% of customers who are women.

The Association therefore, in line with nearly every other sector of the gaming and leisure industries, calls for a total ban as the only effective way of protecting the public in the way in which the Government is supposed to be legislating.  Anything less is a cop out and only underlines the confused mixture of policies that the Department of Health have produced.

Stakeholder Response: GMB

A spokesperson for GMB said:

“We have been calling for a total smoking ban in all workplaces, including those in the entertainment and hospitality industries since GMB Congress in 2002 passed a motion from the casino members’ branch in 2002. GMB has supported claims for and won compensation for members whose health has been affected by passive smoking at work. GMB will be giving evidence to the Select Committee on the 17th November 2005.

Gala casinos are preparing to circumvent any legislation on banning smoking in public workplaces but including a “smokey atmosphere” clause in contracts of employment for new starters.

There are 113,370 licensed premises in England and Wales as at June 2004.”

Mick Ainsley, GMB Organiser looking after workers in Britain’s casinos said, “This is very disappointing news our members are being sentenced to a life of ill health just for the sake of political expediency and tax revenues. The Government is shirking from its duty to look after everyone equality and marking some workers down for illness and worse.”

Stakeholder Response: Local Government Association

Responding to the Government's smoking ban announcement, Cllr David Rogers - the Local Government Association's public health spokesperson - said: "This ban won't work in practice. Council staff will find it extremely difficult to enforce. Do crisps qualify as food? Are pickled eggs?  Given the public health threat from second hand smoke,  it is imperative that for the ban to work the rules are crystal clear."

Stakeholder Response: NHS Confederation

Jo Webber, Policy Manager for the NHS Confederation, said:

“The NHS Confederation, which represents more than 90% of NHS organisations, is calling for a complete ban on smoking in all pubs and clubs – but warns that funding to help primary care trusts support smokers who quit the habit must be maintained.

NHS organisations favour a complete ban on smoking in all pubs, clubs and bars but supported Government proposals that there should be some exceptions to the ban including long-stay adult residential care homes, psychiatric hospitals and units and adult hospices.

Patients staying in long-stay units or homes often treat these areas as their home despite them being a public place. Therefore it is important that these patients are not stigmatised if their place of stay is made exempt from a ban.”

Although NHS Confederation members support a complete smoking ban in pubs and clubs, they warned that current funding of NHS Stop Smoking Services – provided by primary care trusts - needs to be sustained past 2008, when the last phase of the ban is due to be in place, so that care can be delivered effectively to everyone that needs support to quit smoking.”

Official statistics show that well-funded smoking cessation services are successful:

• In the 2004/05 financial year NHS Stop Smoking Services recorded that 297,828 smokers successfully quit for at least four months, in 2003/04 204,876 smokers quit for at least four months.
• From 2003 to 2006 £138 million was made available to NHS Stop Smoking Services.
• A further £112 million has been allocated to primary care trusts for the two years 2006 to 2008.  

“The funding available to primary care services needs to be maintained, closely monitored and potentially increased so that everyone who wants to quit smoking is provided with the support and guidance they need.”

In addition to calling for adequate funding for primary care services, the NHS Confederation believes that addressing the way smoking cessation services are delivered may also help NHS staff deal with a rise in user demand.

“NHS Stop Smoking Services need to look at how they are going to deal with the implications of the proposed ban.  It may mean that they need to be more innovative in how, and where, care is delivered to deal with increases in demand. Taking cessation services into peoples workplaces would be an effective way of helping large numbers of people quit smoking whilst at work.”

Stakeholder Response: RCP

Professor Carol Black, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said:

The unwillingness to ban smoking in all public places in this country and thereby deny protection to those at greatest risk will cause wide dismay. It is especially disappointing, given both the weight of evidence and the knowledge that similar policies have been implemented effectively with popular support in other countries."

Professor John Britton, Chair of the RCP Tobacco Group, said:

"We are saddened that the Government hasn’t had the courage to implement the simple, effective and popular policies that we know are working in other countries such as Ireland and Australia.  Protecting the health of employees is paramount and under the Government’s proposal workers in pubs and private clubs, who are currently suffering the highest levels of exposure, will continue to be exposed to high levels of toxic smoke.  Preventing smoking in public places reduces the prevalence of smoking and so reduces exposure of children to passive smoke at home.

We urge the Government to take this issue seriously and take the obvious step of making all public places smoke free without exception."

Stakeholder Response: