The smoking ban one year on
One year after the country took a dark turn into state control and an unpleasant, puerile attitude to other people’s business. Or is it one year into a brave new world where the country became fitter, healthier and more civilised? One year since the smoking ban in England and Wales, and passions remain high on […]
Welsh smoking ban comes into force
A ban on smoking in public places comes into force in Wales today, before it is extended to the rest of the UK over the coming months. From 6am today, anyone caught smoking in enclosed public spaces, including bars and pubs, will be liable for a £50 on the spot fine. Those responsible for the […]
Govt spends £30m on smoke detectors
The government is providing £30 million in funding so councils will be able to send people out to check the smoking ban is being adhered to. Council staff are currently being trained for the new role of ensuring restaurants, cafes, bars, and nightclubs stay smoke-free after July 1st. And anyone caught smoking in an inappropriate […]
Smoking age rise announced
The minimum legal age at which tobacco can be purchased is to rise to 18, the government has announced. It said raising the minimum age by two years from October 1st will help stop young people becoming addicted to nicotine by making it easier for retailers to spot underage smokers. The Department of Health (DoH) […]
Smoking ban date set
Smoking will be banned in enclosed public places in England from July 1st next year, the health secretary has announced. Patricia Hewitt confirmed the date in a statement this morning, saying the move was a “triumph for public health”. She has also today launched a new campaign to help English businesses, including nearly 200,000 pubs, […]
Scotland gets tougher on smoking
Ministers in Scotland have backed proposals to raise the smoking age from 16 to 18 after an executive-commissioned report recommended the move. The health department said it would consider implementing the recommendations made by the smoking prevention working group before next May’s Holyrood elections. Smokers in Scotland were barred from lighting up in public places […]
Call for action on young drinkers and smokers
Drinking and smoking are as harmful to society as illegal drugs and the government should take greater action to prevent them, a new report has warned. A wide-ranging report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) calls for tougher rules on advertising alcohol, including banning the sponsorship of music or sports events […]
Figures reveal UK’s fat future
One third of British men will obese by 2010 unless action is taken to improve the nation’s fitness, new government figures show. Department of Health (DoH) research reveals that if current trends continue, 6.6 million men will be clinically obese by the end of the decade, up from 4.3 million in 2003. The number of […]
New ‘fitness minister’ to get Britons into shape
Caroline Flint has been appointed a new minister for fitness, to coordinate the government’s efforts to tackle public health and rising obesity. Reporting to the health secretary, she will work with the departments for culture, local government, transport and education to help individuals increase their physical activity. Official figures due to be released on Friday […]
People ‘must take responsibility for their health’
People must take responsibility for their own health if the NHS is not to become overwhelmed in the future, the prime minister said today. Tony Blair noted that a large proportion of illnesses treated on the NHS, from cirrhosis of the liver to strokes and type-two diabetes, were caused by people’s individual actions. And he […]
