This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Moving towards a smoke free Scotland
13/03/2002
Smoke-free areas and clear smoking policies - already in
place in many pubs and eateries - could soon be extended to
smaller hotels, restaurants and coffee chains under a new
£175,000 initiative announced today.
Deputy Health Minister Mary Mulligan revealed the
funding package, including a £56,000 grant from
the Executive's Tobacco Control Budget which will help
the Executive work with the signatories and organisations
such as the Health Education Board for Scotland and Action
on Smoking and Health to extend choice for consumers who
want to spend a smoke-free night out through the Voluntary
Charter on Smoking in Public Places.
Ms Mulligan also announced that the existing Charter
website would be re-vamped and extended to inform the
public about the choice of smoke-free facilities in their
area - a sort of 'rough guide' to Scotland's smoke-free
eating and drinking establishments.
A database will also be set up outlining progress by
outlet - for example the degree of uptake in bars - to
gauge the success of the Charter by the end of the
year.
Ms Mulligan said:
"A great deal of work has gone on over the last year to
encourage the spread of designated no-smoking areas in
bars, restaurants and other licensed premises. Efforts
which will reduce the harm caused by passive smoking to
both customers and staff, and also go some way towards
tackling smoking among the overall population.
"Since 2000 when we launched the Voluntary Charter on
Smoking in Public Places, some 1300 businesses against a
target of 1100 have adopted the charter. That's a great
start and shows very clearly that modern, smoking policies
recognise the public's wish for more smoke-free areas and
that they make commercial sense.
"The challenge now is to step up our efforts to make
sure more smaller hotels, restaurants and coffee bars know
about the scheme, sign up to it, and offer a wider range of
smoke-free areas than at present. A move which will greatly
improve consumer choice. Hand in hand with that, will be
new initiatives like the website to give the public more
information about where they can find smoke-free eating and
drinking in their village, town or city.
"Smoking is the most significant contributor to poor
health in Scotland. It accounts for around 13,000 deaths
each year and more than 33,000 people are admitted to
hospital in Scotland with smoking-related diseases. Today,
on National no Smoking Day it is right that we remember the
damage that tobacco causes to our national health.
"During the past three years the Executive has launched
a whole host of initiatives to improve support for the
two-thirds of smokers who want to kick the habit. From the
provision of smoking cessation therapies on NHS
prescription to using money from Scotland's Health
Improvement Fund to create special 'stop smoking' clinics
in the most deprived areas.
"This multi-pronged attack on the harmful effects of
smoking has already started to show signs of success and we
have reached our target of reducing smoking to 33 per cent
by 2005. However there is much more work to be done if we
want to reduce the incidence of smoking further still and
discourage young people from taking up the habit in the
first place."
Since its launch two years ago, when it was signed by
the four main bodies covering the licensed, tourism and
hospitality sectors - the British Hospitality Association,
the British Beer and Pub Association (formally Brewers and
Licensed Retailers Association), the Scottish Licensed
Trade Association and the Scottish Tourist Forum - a
growing number of pubs and restaurants have been providing
a greater level of consumer choice by providing smoking and
no-smoking areas.
The £56,000 in funding announced today by the Scottish
Executive will help drive forward the latest phase of the
Charter's roll-out. In particular it will be used to
provide promotional and publicity materials to encourage
more smaller hotels, restaurants and licensed premises to
adopt the Charter and help reach the following targets by
the end of the year:
- increase the number of places with smoking policies
from 46 to 56 per cent
- increase the number of places with written policies
from 25 to 35 per cent
- increase the use of signs closes to entrances from
16 to 26 per cent of establishments
- increase non-smoking provision from 39 to 49 per
cent
The total investment in this latest phase is £175,000 -
with the remaining funding being provided by the
signatories to the Charter.