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.