Health lobby dismisses Scottish smoking ban damage claim

Anti-smoking lobbyists ASH have criticised a Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) survey, which claims the smoking ban has caused a huge down-turn in pub trade.

Chief executive of ASH Scotland Maureen Moore said: "Scotland's smoke-free legislation was brought in on the grounds of health, not on anecdotal reports concerning the profit margins of a minority of SLTA members."

The SLTA survey, which was completed by 375 of the association's 1,750 members, claimed that the ban had forced out regulars and caused a 10% drop in drink sales.

Paul Waterson, chief executive of SLTA, said: "Our members have done a terrific job enforcing the ban and many are paying for it with their livelihoods."

Nick Bish, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Retailers said that while the SLTA figures might not be comprehensive, the sentiments of many publicans worried by the ban were.

"The lesson ahead of the English smoking ban is not to be overconfident. Our job as an industry is to work together and make sure the dip that follows a ban is as shallow as possible," said Bish.

The Scottish ban came into effect on 26 March, and an English ban is expected to start next summer.

• In France, the government's plan to ban smoking in public places has met with resistance. Gerard Martini, the joint manager of L'Ideal Bar in central Paris, said: "We're not going to accept it. We're going to rebel. This is going to be a revolution."

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By Tom Vaughan

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