Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

Thank you. I know that the Minister and the Leader of the House are trying to resolve the issues regarding this motion.

Wards containing new-born infants could often be filled with cigarette smoke – obviously ETS – following public visiting hours. I should have declared earlier that I am a former smoker, and one of the presents I received as a newly delivered mother was 200 cigarettes. Although they are very useful for getting through the night, I have happily given up the habit since.

People who have not smoked perhaps do not appreciate that when one is a smoker one regards cigarettes as one's best friends. They are a great crutch. Obviously they are a drug, and they are difficult to give up. The vast majority of people want to give up smoking. In that regard, the legislation we have put in place so far, as well as that which we want to put in place, is very important in encouraging and supporting people who wish to give up. That important point must also be borne in mind.

I have one more point before I turn to the issue of alcohol. When smoking was banned in bingo halls, we were told that it would be the end of public bingo sessions, but it was not. Banning smoking has not ruined cinemas or theatres. All it has done is improve the quality of life for those who attend those public places. It has provided a major encouragement for people who want to give up.

My message to the Minister is that he should keep going and not allow himself to be distracted from his objective. A ban will not adversely affect business in pubs either. I rarely go into pubs because of the cigarette smoke, for as a non-smoker I find the atmosphere intolerable, and that does not encourage me. It is also notable that in this country the incidence of smoking is higher among lower-income groups, and how we tackle smoking as a public health issue must be examined in public education programmes. Smoking is undoubtedly linked to poverty.