Vol. 572 No. 2
81 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health and Children if his recent trip to New York to observe the no-smoking ban in restaurants and pubs at first hand convinced him to proceed with the ban here; the way in which his ban will differ from the ban imposed in New York; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22584/03]
I decided to introduce the prohibition on smoking in the workplace – including licenced premises and restaurants – in response to the joint Office of Tobacco Control/Health and Safety Authority report on the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace which was published last January.
As I had already decided on the introduction and scope of the prohibition, my discussions with New York city officials and Mayor Bloomberg concentrated on arrangements for administration and enforcement and not on comparing and contrasting the scope of the two measures.
