Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 349: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if, in regard to the smoking ban, his Department has begun recruiting enforcement officers to ensure the ban is adhered to; and when these jobs will be advertised. [9603/04]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Monitoring compliance with the workplace smoke-free requirements is being carried out by officers from health boards, the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority. Health boards with vacancies in their established environmental health officer complements in the tobacco control area are in the process of filling these posts. My Department has no plans to recruit additional enforcement officers in this area. The initial emphasis in regard to the new measure is on compliance building and in harnessing the widespread public support and goodwill that exists for a smoke-free environment.