PASSIVE SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES

Early day motion 359, tabled 11 December 2002 by David Taylor (Labour/Co-operative). Signed by 104 members.

That this House welcomes the BMA's recent report on passive smoking, Towards Smoke-Free Public Places, which establishes beyond doubt that passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer, coronary heart disease and asthma attacks in adults and cot death, middle ear disease, respiratory infections and the development of asthma in children; notes that at least a thousand preventable deaths occur every year as a result of passive smoking and that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke; welcomes the fact that the overwhelming majority of the public is in favour of smoking restrictions in the workplace and other public places; is concerned that in the UK, three million workers are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in their workplaces and that those at highest risk of exposure are workers in the lowest socio-economic groups; further notes with concern that it is now more than four years since the Government published its proposals for an Approved Code of Practice on passive smoking at work and more than two years since the Health and Safety Commission recommended to the Government that the Code be adopted; concludes that in light of these delays and in view of the inadequacy of voluntary measures to protect workers and other against the serious dangers of passive smoking in public places, further action is now necessary; and calls on the Government to introduce legislation on passive smoking in the workplace and public places as a matter of urgency.

Signatures by party: Labour 66, Liberal Democrat 18, Labour/Co-operative 11, Conservative 4, Plaid Cymru 2, Independent 1, Scottish National Party 1, UUP 1.