This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Survey of voluntary charter on smoking in public
23/09/2003
An independent survey on the uptake of the
Scottish Voluntary Charter on Smoking in Public Places was
published today.
Deputy Health Minister Tom McCabe today gave a
cautious welcome to the survey.
The Minister acknowledged evidence showing an
increase in smoke-free areas acrossScotland's public places such as restaurants, shopping
centres, cinemas and pubs made encouraging reading, but
stressed that there was still a long way to go.
The Minister said:
"I welcome the progress made under the Scottish
Voluntary Charter on Smoking in Public places.
"I am particularly pleased to note the increase
in the number of premises which offer smoke free areas.
This helps increase customer choice to socialise in a
smoke-free atmosphere.
"The Scottish Voluntary Charter sets four key
provisions which include having a written smoking
policy for both staff and the public, the provision of
smoke-free areas for the public and displays signage
close to the entrance.
"It is therefore disappointing that only 11 per
cent of businesses in the food and entertainment sector complied with all
key aspects of the Voluntary Charter. Furthermore, it
is important to recognise that the survey was unable to
verify enforcement of these non-smoking areas.
"We recognise the risks associated with passive
smoking and have made it clear we want fast and steady
progress to be made in the provision of smoke-free
policies for the workplace and public places.
"We are currently undertaking a detailed review
of the national tobacco control strategy and action to
reduce the impact of second-hand tobacco smoke is an
important element of that review.
"We will shortly launch a new action plan on tobacco
control designed specifically for the needs ofScotland. One part of the wide ranging action plan is the
intention to engage in a widespread public dialogue on the
issue of smoking in public places.
"We're ruling nothing out at this stage and an
extension of the voluntary approach remains an option.
We will consult on this, and other possible options,
including statutory controls in order to see how we can
best achieve to the extension of smoke-free areas in
public places.
"In addition, we are working with NHS HealthScotlandon ways to better inform the public about the risks
associated with second-hand tobacco smoke. A media campaign
being developed by NHS HealthScotlandwill be aired later this year."
The key points noted in the survey are:
68 per cent of businesses surveyed had a
smoking policy, against an industry target of
56 per cent, a rise from 46 per cent in
2000
68 per cent of business in the food and
entertainment sector had a smoking
policy
34 per cent of businesses surveyed had a
written smoking policy, against an industry
target of 35 per cent, a rise from 25 per cent
in 2000
29 per cent of business in the food and
entertainment sector had a written smoking
policy
32 per cent of businesses surveyed had a
signage close to entrances, against an industry
target of 26 per cent, a rise from 16 per cent
in 2000
28 per cent of business in the food and
entertainment sector had signage close to
entrances
61 per cent of businesses surveyed had a
non-smoking provision against an industry
target of 49 per cent, a rise from 39 per cent
in 2000
58 per cent of business in the food and
entertainment sector had non-smoking
provision
Survey interviews were conducted with respondents
from 974 of the 1,574businesses approached to take part in the study. This
represents an overall response rate of 62%.
11 per cent of the business representatives contacted
refused to participate. For the remaining
businesses, either a representative could not be contacted
or the number given in the database was incorrect or
unobtainable.
90 per cent of respondents were in positions of
management and 98 percent were responsible for either deciding or
implementing the relevant smoking policy.
Over half of respondents was male (55 per cent)
and a similar proportion (54 per cent) was aged between
35 and 54 years of age.
The breakdown of type of business surveyed
was:
78 per cent (759) of respondents classified
their businesses as Food & Entertainment
establishments (public houses/bars, restaurants,
hotels, inns and motels, cafes, social clubs and
associations and cinemas, theatres and
concert halls)
17 per cent (165) classified their
businesses as sports and recreation
establishments (sports clubs and associations,
leisure/sports centres, community centres,
betting shops, stadia, swimming pools,
greyhound/horse racing tracks)
1 per cent (11) of respondents were from
shopping centres and 4 per cent(39) were from superstores