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Burstow promises "I'm voting smoke-free"
February 9, 2006 12:00 AM
Paul Burstow has pledged his support for a comprehensive smoking ban in the run-up to next week's all-important vote in the House of Commons.
The MP for Sutton and Cheam will be joining his colleagues from all three main parties on the Health Committee and British Heart Foundation's (BHF) call for the exemptions allowing some pubs and clubs to continue to allow smoking to be scrapped.
At an event at the House of Commons last week, Paul Burstow joined Kevin Barron, the Chairman of the House of Commons Health Select Committee. Paul Burstow is a member of the influential Committee which last month tabled an amendment to the Health Bill, aimed at securing a comprehensive smoking ban in England.
The Government has bowed to pressure and agreed to part of this amendment, meaning that ALL pubs will now be subject to the ban if the Bill is passed by Parliament. However, as it stands, exemptions in the Bill would still allow smoking in private clubs.
The Health Committee and BHF believes this is unacceptable and illogical, and will leave thousands of workers unprotected from the proven health dangers of second-hand tobacco smoke. As such, Paul Burstow is backing an additional amendment to be tabled to remove this anomaly.
Paul Burstow said:
"The proposed exemptions offer an inexplicable loophole that will create confusion and widen health inequalities - without even satisfying the pub trade or the vast majority of the public."
Maura Gillespie, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the British Heart Foundation, said:
"The BHF has still not heard a logical explanation for why a minority of workers, many of whom live in the poorest areas, should be denied the same protection that this Bill offers to the majority.
"We are delighted Paul Burstow has pledged to vote for the only sensible and workable solution: a comprehensive smoking ban."
ENDS.
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