Engagements

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 26 October 2005.

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Photo of Anne Begg Anne Begg Labour, Aberdeen South 11:30, 26 October 2005

The Prime Minister has said that Labour is at its best when at its boldest. May I urge the Leader of the House to encourage his Cabinet colleagues to be bold, to follow Scotland's example, to stub out cigarettes and to ban smoking in all enclosed public spaces?

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Jim Stevens
Posted on 27 Oct 2005 2:39 pm (Report this annotation)

Anne Begg should remember that she was elected on a manifesto that promised a smoking ban in England & Wales with exemptions for social clubs & public houses that did not serve food. The Scottish ban is both illiberal and does not command popular support in Scotland, according to the Scottish Executive's own polling evidence.

Whilst no one should condone smoking, it remains a legal activity and some mechanism to provide space for smokers in the hospitality sector is both warranted & welcome. Social Clubs are not public places. They are democratic institutions run on behalf of their members by a mangagement ctte. Members of the public have to be signed in by Club members and cannot enter freely. The Cabinet is to be congratulated on upholding the rights of social club members to determine their own policy towards smoking.

It is sad to see a distinguised parliamentarian such as Anne Begg joining those in the Scottish Labour Party who are firmly wedded to the politics of the nanny state. The proposed system in England is fair to both smokers and non smokers. It demonstrates vision and statemanship, attributes wholly lacking in the approach taken by the Scottish Executive. Banning golfers from having a cigarette in their own club after a round or preventing bowlers having a cigarette after a wappenshaw is something that will rebound badly on the Scottish Labour Party at the Scottish Parliament elections in 2007. What members do in private members clubs, if legal should have nothing to do with the State.

Anne Begg and Scottish Labour MPs should support the manifesto commitments on which they were elected and refrain from attempts to impose McConnell's folly on England & Wales.

Ann Onymous
Posted on 31 Oct 2005 8:48 pm (Report this annotation)

I agree with the point that private members clubs are not public places and thus members of such clubs should be permited to smoke as the other mebers could leave if they felt that they did not want to be subejectd to second hand smoke. However any publicly acsesible palce wether it serves food or not should be either a well ventilated smoking area so that other people do not have to be subjected to the dangers of second hand smoke or a non smoking area. The question of food is quite irelevent.