Britain would follow the lead of Ireland, New York and California where the new rules have been welcomed.

The shift in stance is being pushed by Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, who compared the ill-effects of tobacco to the scourge of polio.

Speaking before a three-month consultation begins tomorrow, Donaldson said a ban was the most pressing issue in public health: “If we have to do one big thing, that has to be to eradicate tobacco like we eradicated polio.”

Indications of a decisive shift emerged as the Tories conceded a ban was “inevitable”. Andrew Lansley, shadow health secretary, said Hewitt should “take the powers to ban smoking if the pub and club industry doesn’t do it voluntarily”.

Such a move would close the loophole for pubs which have smoking and non-smoking areas.

But representatives of the licensed trade, previously regarded as the most implacable opponents of the ban, indicated they were reconciled to its eventual implementation. Mark Hastings, of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “Our association is committed to a radical change by 2009.”

John Reid, the previous health secretary, last year patched together a compromise where pubs serving food would ban smoking. The rest could permit smoking provided that they created a 3ft “exclusion zone” around the bar area.

Donaldson said this proposal sent a “mixed message” to smokers. He said such an attempt to protect bar staff from passive smoking was nonsensical: “It’s like trying to half-chlorinate a pool.” He added that the current measures “don’t go as far as I want them to”.

He was backed by Jim Johnson, chairman of the British Medical Association, who said existing proposals were “unpoliceable”. He said the government should impose the “inevitable” ban as “an enormous step” to improve public health.

The consultation, drawn up under Reid’s tenure, will outline a complete ban on workplace smoking, including smoking rooms in offices. The ban will extend to businesses run from home that employ staff.

Pubs serving food will have a total ban imposed by the end of 2007, including pub gardens. Smokers will be required to move outside the grounds.

A ban is also proposed for open public places where large numbers of people congregate, including sports stadiums, such as Premiership football grounds, open-air concerts and bus shelters.

In licensed premises the responsibility for enforcing the law would be placed on landlords and it would be policed by health and safety officers from local councils. Failure to comply would result in a fine.

This weekend senior health department officials said the consultation would “open the door for a total ban”. The officials said Hewitt “thinks differently to Reid on the issue”.
Another senior department source said: “Hewitt sees that the medical evidence for a ban is unimpeachable but she wants the impetus for the move to stricter controls to come from business and the pub trade.”

Hewitt is prepared to contemplate a total ban because she does not share Reid’s philosophical objections. He was opposed to “nannying” the electorate by forcing on people the state’s concept of a healthy lifestyle.

Reid, who prides himself on understanding working-class voters, was also concerned a ban would alienate Labour’s supporters in its heartlands in the run-up to the election.

The shift from his position has been supported by evidence from Ireland where the economic impact of the workplace ban has been limited. In the first year of the ban, imposed in 2004, takings in pubs dropped by just 3%.

The Scottish parliament voted in April to end smoking in public places and enclosed public spaces. Tomorrow’s consultation paper will give the Welsh assembly powers to introduce an immediate ban on smoking in public places.

Taken from: /www.timesonline.co.uk
By: Jonathon Carr-Brown, Health Correspondent