Smoke-free England

On July 1st 2007, England introduced a new law to make virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England smoke free. The aim is to ensure a healthier environment, so everyone can socialise, relax, travel, shop and work free from secondhand smoke.

How does it affect my accommodation business?

Under the Health Act 2006, smoking will be banned in enclosed public spaces and places of work, with some exemptions.

There will be a legal duty for you to display no-smoking signs in a prominent position at each entrance to a smoke-free premises.

The Act will place a legal duty on any person who owns or manages a smoke-free premises to ensure that guests, visitors and staff do not smoke on the premises.

More information on what you need to do to ensure your business is compliant is available in the Legislation Guidance section under Smoking in Public Places.

Is the ban working?

A series of public opinion and business surveys have been conducted to monitor levels of awareness, support and understanding of smoke-free law.

The latest results from June 2007 show 96 per cent of businesses and 95 per cent of the general public are aware of the law and over three-quarters support smoke-free legislation. 81% of businesses said they had no concerns about the introductions of the smoke-free law.

Early indications show an increase in the number of people requesting help to quit smoking and a rise in non-smoking customers to pubs and restaurants. Soon data will be available on the number of calls to the Smokefree Compliance Line as well as data on compliance from local authority inspections, including details of penalty notices or fines issued. For more information on up-to-date research visit www.smokefreeengland.co.uk