The Government will today announce a ban on smoking in all workplaces and anywhere serving food.
SMOKING BAN
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Most pubs, restaurants, cafes, offices and factories will reportedly be included in the proposed ban to be included in a Government White Paper. Even office smoking rooms will be affected although pubs which serve bought-in food such as sandwiches will escape the ban, a report in The Sun says. Private members' clubs and bars which have separate dining rooms with their own entrance will also be exempt, according to the report. The newspaper said Dr Reid decided to take a harder line after opinion polls backed a crackdown on public smoking. According to The Sun, the proposed ban will be first introduced in government buildings, then workplaces. Pubs and restaurants will be affected last. The report said the move would probably be in Labour's election manifesto to become law in 2006. A Department of Health spokeswoman refused to comment on the report, saying only that a White Paper is going to be published. The long-awaited Public Health White Paper for England is expected to outline the biggest public health shake-up in years, with smoking, junk food and the sexual health crisis in its sights. It is being published by Health Secretary John Reid in the Commons, following months of speculation and leaked reports concerning its contents. Dr Reid had been expected to stop short of a blanket ban on smoking in enclosed public places, risking the wrath of medics and anti-smoking campaigners who have repeatedly highlighted the risks posed by second-hand smoke. But the White Paper is expected to severely restrict the places where tobacco is allowed, in efforts to protect workers and patrons from the dangers of passive smoking. Medical experts, including the British Medical Association, Royal College of Physicians and the British Heart Foundation, have said a ban on smoking in all public places would be the single most effective measure to improve health. Last week the Scottish Executive announced its intention to ban smoking in enclosed public places, following in the footsteps of places such as the Republic of Ireland and New York. The Government will also seek to tackle the increasing obesity crisis which has seen the number of overweight Britons soar in recent years. Reports have suggested junk food adverts could be banished beyond the 9pm TV watershed to protect children from temptation and their parents from "pester power". It is expected Dr Reid will go further than simply barring adverts for unhealthy food during children's TV after Ofcom figures showed 70% of viewing by children aged four to 15 took place between 6pm and 9pm. If advertisers do not agree to stop showing adverts for junk food they could face an outright ban, reports suggest. In further efforts to tackle the nation's poor diet, a voluntary new labelling system, possibly using traffic lights to indicate foods high in fat, salt and sugar, is expected to be introduced. Food manufacturers would be urged to clearly show what products contained, using "red" to indicate high levels of fat, salt or sugar and "green" for foods such as fruit and vegetables. Lifestyle advisers could also be offered to patients on the NHS in efforts to make them take responsibility for their own health, while others could be offered discounted gym membership. The White Paper will set out an action plan to tackle soaring rates of sexual disease, with pledges expected to speed up appointments at sexual health clinics to treat patients quicker. It is expected that action will also be urged to get people back to work and out of the "sick-note culture", recognising that being physically and mentally active plays a part in staying healthy. The Government has been keen to avoid accusations of "nanny-stateism", stressing that it is keen to take action to let people make informed choices about their own health rather than force legislation upon them. But many campaigners are already concerned that the White Paper will be a series of half measures and lack the teeth necessary to bring about long-lasting change for the better. Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow said: "The test for the White Paper will be whether it delivers on smoking and diet - both require more than just warm words. "Without a comprehensive ban on smoking in enclosed public places, staff will still be exposed to the unacceptable risk of second hand smoke. "Without a mandatory traffic light labelling scheme on foods, consumers will be faced with a lottery where some products are well labelled and others not." Ben Youdan, chief executive of No Smoking Day, said the charity still hoped the White Paper would follow the lead of Ireland and Scotland with a total ban on smoking in public places to support the eight million smokers who want to quit. "The greatest way to support smokers in breaking their addiction is by giving them the right environment to quit, and that environment is smoke-free," he said. "This is a chance to prevent hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths caused by tobacco." Deborah Arnott, director of Action on Smoking and Health, added: "If John Reid and the Government are too scared to do what is now required - and end smoking in all workplaces and enclosed public places - then they must promise to hold a free vote on the issue in the first session of the next Parliament and allow MPs to do the job for them." However, Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest, responded to the proposed ban by accusing the government of trying to "demonise" smokers. He told PA News: "The Government has ignored public opinion including research by their own office for national statistics. "People want more no smoking areas and better ventilation in pubs and clubs. They do not want a complete ban on public smoking with extreme penalties if anyone breaks the law. "If the aim is to get smokers to quit, it will not work. despite increasing restriction and numerous anti-smoking initiatives, smoking rates in the UK have fallen by just 2% in 12 years. Far from giving up, smokers will reach for the fags in defiance." He added: "We support further restrictions but we vehemently oppose this extraordinary decision which is part of a systematic attempt to demonise smokers and their perfectly legal habit." Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the industry was working towards a voluntary code. "We believe this can be extended so that wherever children have access to pubs or restaurants, those should be smoke free and that everyone has the option to be in smoke-free premises. "We are confident this can be achieved within a tight timetable. If the Government are proposing legislation this is likely to lead to delay because the industry will not implement a self-regulatory solution if legislation is in prospect. He added: "The government solution would also run a serious risk that smokers, instead of going to pubs, would drink and smoke at home, increasing the risks of second hand smoke for children and families." The World Cancer Research Fund welcomed action being taken on the advertising of junk food. Andrew Trehearne, head of education at the charity, said: "Junk food advertising has been a disastrous experiment on our children. "Just at an age when they are beginning to take an interest in the world around them, we have allowed food manufacturers, through advertising, to approach them in their homes and encourage them to ask for highly-processed foods, high in fat and sugars and low in nutrients." | 
