Office of Tobacco Control welcomes announcement of date for introduction of smoke-free workplaces

New poll shows more than twice as many people say they will visit bars more often compared to those who say they will visit less

The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) has today (Wednesday, 18 February 2004) welcomed the announcement by Minister Micheál Martin TD that the ban on smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, will come into effect from 29 March next.  OTC Chairperson, Dr Michael Boland, said that this is an important public health measure that will, over time, result in less illness and premature death, especially among those employed in the hospitality sector, who are the most heavily exposed workers at present.

Dr Boland also said that there is a significant body of evidence to suggest that the introduction of smoke-free workplaces will not have any adverse economic effects on the hospitality sector, in particular.  In this context, he pointed to the findings of a recent survey (27 January 2004) conducted by TNS mrbi on behalf of the OTC.

• More than twice as many people say they will visit bars for a drink more often after the smoking ban compared to those who say they will visit less often (28% compared to 12%).  The data are consistent across all social groups, all ages and all regions.
• Almost 60% of smokers report that they will visit bars for a drink as often, or more often, after the ban comes into effect.
• Those smokers who say they are less likely to visit a bar for a drink (8.3% of the total sample) are outnumbered by more than three to one by non-smokers who say they will visit bars more often (26.3% of the total).
• Nearly three in four people (73%) who say they have visited a bar in the last two weeks are non-smokers.
• Almost four times as many people are more likely to visit bars for meals after the introduction of the smoking ban (38%) compared to those who are less likely (10%). This applies to all social groups, all ages and regions.
• Almost half of those surveyed (49%) found bars to be “smoky” at present, including 46% of smokers. This finding is fairly consistent across all social groups, ages and regions.
• Non-smokers are almost as likely to visit a bar as smokers (63% compared to 73%).