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Smoking Legislation Vote Today

MP?s will today vote on new smoking legislation, which could see a ban on all smoking in the workplace.

However, there is a strong possibility that some exemptions could be introduced for private member clubs and pubs not serving food.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber commented: ?To exempt clubs makes no sense. It will lead to an uneven playing field between pubs and clubs and will mean that smokers will be more likely to visit private members clubs, increasing the exposure of staff to lethal smoke.? Andy Graham, regional co-ordinator for the Fresh Campaign for a Smoke Free North East, said: ?Looking at this purely as a health and safety issue in which everyone deserves protection, there can surely be no option for MPs but to vote for a comprehensive ban so we are pleading with them to have a heart and do just that.?

The North East has some of the poorest areas with some of the highest lung cancer rates in the country. It is estimated that around half of the region?s pubs and clubs will continue to be smoking venues if any exemptions to the smoking ban are implemented. The Fresh Campaign argues that introducing a total ban could save the lives of the 35 people in the North East who die from secondhand smoke every year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .