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Wednesday, 11 January 2006
MP tables ammendment to Health Bill
Dartford MP, Dr Howard Stoate, tabled an amendment to the Government’s Health Bill last night along with the nine other members of the House of Commons Health Select Committee calling for a complete ban on smoking in pubs and licensed premises.
The amendment follows a recent Health Select Committee report that branded government plans to introduce a partial ban (which exempts drink only pubs) as ‘unfair, unjust, inefficient and unworkable’.

In their report the Committee concluded that all workers - including bar staff - deserve protection from the dangers of second hand smoke. Current plans to exempt those pubs which don’t serve food ignores the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and will also undermine the Government’s goal of reducing health inequalities as drink only pubs are concentrated in deprived areas.

“A partial ban on smoking would fail to protect the public and restaurant and pub workers, and would prove extremely difficult to implement. A complete ban represents the only sensible and practical way forward and I am confident that in a free vote our amendment will gain the support of a clear majority of MPs,” said the Dr Stoate.

The amendment is as follows:

Page 2, line 35, [Clause 3], leave out lines 35 and 36 and insert-

'(2A) The following premises, or subsets of premises, may not be specified under subsection (1):-

(a) licensed premises,
(b) premises in respect of which there is a club premises certificate is in force.

Page 3, {Clause 3], leave out lines 1 and 2.

The amendment has been signed by the following members of the committee: Kevin Barron MP (Labour), David Amess MP (Conservative), Charlotte Atkins MP (Labour), Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat), Jim Dowd MP (Labour), Anne Milton MP (Conservative), Mike Penning MP (Conservative), Dr Howard Stoate MP (Labour), Dr Doug Naysmith MP (Labour), Dr Richard Taylor MP (Independent)

The UK is now the top major European country in terms of its tobacco control measures, according to an independent expert report.  [Joossens, L.  Effective tobacco control policies in 28 European countries.  ENSP, 2004.]  This is due to measures brought in by Labour following its landmark white paper on tobacco control “Smoking Kills”   These included:

•    A comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising (enacted in 2002, entering into force on 14 Feb 2003).
 
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© 2008 Dr Howard Stoate - Member of Parliament for Dartford
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