An outright ban on smoking in restaurants and pubs will be introduced in the Republic of Ireland, the Dublin government announced last week.
Irish health minister Micheal Martin said smoking would be forbidden in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, from 1 January 2004.
The ban will put the Irish at the forefront of European anti-smoking legislators - far beyond voluntary restrictions in the UK (Caterer, 30 January, page 8).
The Irish announcement follows a report compiled for the government which concluded unequivocally that environmental tobacco smoke is a serious carcinogenic and causes heart disease, respiratory tract infections and low-weight new-born babies.
A report by the Western Health Board in Ireland also influenced the legislation because it highlighted the limited effect of ventilation systems, one of the preferred options of those who object to the ban.
There was also pressure from bar workers union Mandate, which supported the outright ban "in the interests of the health and safety of bar workers".
Martin acknowledged that the ban would mean "a massive cultural change" for Irish society, but he argued that the freedom not to smoke was more important than the freedom to do so.
"It may seem like coercion, but it's coercion when other workers smoke in the workplace. The non-smokers are being forced to take into their bodies poisons they have chosen not to ingest," he said.