NO-SMOKING AREAS WIN THE SUPPORT OF DRINKERS

Exclusive: Survey Shows That Business Of Pubs Would Be Boosted By A Ban

A SCOTTISH health board is set to urge the licensed trade to ban
smoking in certain areas in pubs, clubs and bars, after a new survey
found it would generate extra business as well as protect employees
and customers from killer diseases.

A System Three study for Greater Glasgow Health Board reports that the
vast majority of Glasgow drinkers are concerned about passive smoking
and a quarter would go to pubs and bars more often if there was a
choice of smoking and non-smoking areas.

While one in five would also stay longer, only 2 per cent of drinkers
said that they would go to the pub less often and one per cent said
they would spend less time drinking there if the move was
implemented.

Doreen McIntyre, the co-ordinator of Glasgow 2000, a smoking
prevention programme run by the health board, says the survey leaves
licensees with no reason to fear that their businesses would suffer.

"There are virtually no no-smoking areas in pubs and clubs in Glasgow
at the moment. Where they do exist they are normally only associated
with serving food for an hour or so or in connection with their
children's certificate," she said.

"I think the licensed trade is more interested in commerce than health
but what this study shows is that they would clearly do better
business if they pushed ahead with no-smoking areas - so I think the
time is now right for them to act.

"I think the licensed trade should look at these findings and at least
carry out their own research if they need to satisfy themselves
further. The problem at the moment is that they are not asking about
this."

Recent research suggested passive smoking during one night in a pub
was the equivalent of smoking between five and ten cigarettes.

"We know that one cigarette a week is enough to endanger health,
increasing the chances of chest disease, heart disease and
complications in pregnancy. Effectively smoking between five and ten a
day is a serious health hazard," Ms McIntyre added.

The report will be considered at the next health board meeting in
April and is likely lead to calls for the licensed trade to implement
non-smoking areas now.

It comes after new national evidence that passive smoking causes lung
cancer and heart disease.

The health board study found that 85 per cent of respondents believed
passive smoking was damaging their health and two-thirds were bothered
by it in pubs, claiming that it caused eye irritation, coughing fits
and left them with a smell on their clothes and hair.

In fact, one in five people thought they were already suffering colds,
chest problems, bronchitis and asthma attacks as a result of passive
smoking.

The study found a quarter of people concerned about passive smoking
would move to another seat while one in five would leave altogether if
the effect of the cigarettes became too annoying.

Crucially for the pubs, not only would a quarter of drinkers go out
more often if they had a choice of drinking in a non-smoking area, but
about 15 per cent of people questioned who never went to pubs said
they would consider going if non-smoking areas existed.

The experience of a pub chain, Wetherspoon's, which owns two pubs in
Glasgow, appears to bear out the sur-vey conclusions. The company
decided in 1993 to introduce non-smoking areas in all its premises to
boost its business.

It is believed to be the only pub chain in the UK which operates such
a policy, with between a quarter and a third of their total customer
areas designated as non-smoking.

At the Counting House and Sir John Stirling Maxwell pubs, as with
others in the chain, smoking is not permitted at the bar, where staff
previously had to put up with passive smoking as part of their work,
and advanced ventilation systems are used.

"It was a response to people writing in to us, saying they liked our
music and atmosphere and so on but would we introduce non-smoking
areas," said a spokesman, Eddie Gershon.

"The health improvement side-effect was well and good for us but we
really did it for commercial reasons.

"People see it as a risk and you have to convince people that, in the
long term, it will attract a lot of people.

"But certainly over the last five years, year on year our profits and
turnover have increased. It's been totally positive from our point of
view."