Lib Dems call for public smoking ban

Delegates want a curb on smoking in public places

The Liberal Democrat conference in Perth has voted in favour of a law to reduce smoking in public places, but stopped short of calling for an outright ban.

Delegates were persuaded by the party leadership that a ban would be difficult to enforce.

Instead, they agreed that a code of practice backed up by legislation was a better way forward.

The motion was tabled by the party's Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber branch.

It claimed the UK and Germany were the only countries in the EU with no specific legislation on smoking in public places despite a EU resolution on the subject in 1989.

Travelling on the number 18 bus from Rutherglen to Glasgow, you can find three or four people smoking, someone else rolling cannabis and a generally unpleasant atmosphere

Robert Brown MSP

Robert Brown, Lib Dem MSP for Glasgow region, tabled an amendment calling for a code of practice to ensure the "progressive reduction" of smoking in public places.

The debate in Perth concentrated on the health dangers of passive smoking - especially those suffering from asthma - and the example given to children.

But Mr Brown said a ban would be difficult to frame in law and difficult to enforce.

'Appalling record'

One delegate who spoke in favour of a ban, Trevor Escott, said the move was not intended to apply to streets, public footpaths or beaches, but to other places where the public had access.

Mr Escott told the conference that out of 1,000 young smokers, 250 would die prematurely from smoking-related diseases.

He detailed Scotland's "appalling" health record, saying that while 159 people out of every 100,000 in England died from heart disease, the figure for Scotland was 207.

"If there had been a ban in England before 1985, 56 people would not have died in the Bradford City football ground fire - and 31 more lives might not have been lost in the Kings Cross underground station fire two years later," he said.

Robert Brown: Called for a code of practice

However, Mr Brown said an outright ban would be difficult to enforce.

"The reality of the matter is that there is considerable difficulty in the definition of what a public place is," the MSP said.

"Public place does tend to suggest streets, parks and open spaces.

"Travelling on the number 18 bus from Rutherglen to Glasgow, you can find three or four people smoking, someone else rolling cannabis and a generally unpleasant atmosphere."

Former smoker Charlotte Mitchell said it would be "less of an ordeal" for smokers to kick the habit if it was forbidden in "restaurants, offices and other public places".

Earlier, the conference heard a promise from the Environment Minister, Ross Finnie, to introduce waste re-cycling targets for local councils by the autumn.

A motion calling for better use of the landfill tax, more kerbside collections and the minimal use of incinerators was also passed.