Hospitality leaders have given a cautious welcome to the Government's support for industry self-regulation of smoking in public places.
At a meeting with industry representatives earlier this month, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said that self-regulation, rather than a total ban on smoking, was the way forward.
Jowell has now asked those at the meeting to reconvene in two months' time to demonstrate how they plan to tackle the problem. This places the onus for action back on the hospitality industry, which has been treading water over the issue since the middle of last year.
"We now need to refocus and prove the fact we don't need legislation," said Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Multiple Licensed Retailers (AMLR). "We face a huge task as an industry, but it's not impossible as we are already singing from much the same hymn book."
The hospitality industry has found itself paralysed since the start of 2003, when it reached the deadline and beat the performance targets relating to the Public Places Charter, an industry-led initiative set up in 1999 to demonstrate a move towards self-regulation. Since then, the industry has been trying to re-engage the Government over the issue and move forward.
irish still waiting for smoking ban
Ireland, which at the start of this year looked likely to become the first country in Europe to ban smoking in public places, has had its national policy change put back, allegedly due to red tape.
Irish health minister Michael Martin is to make a statement on the ban in the next few weeks, but industry insiders suggest the current hold-up may be more to do with local elections than any interference from Brussels.