Key positions due to be part of the Government's anti-smoking programme have been left unfilled for two years because of budget cutbacks.
The 10 positions, which would have overseen the policing of the proposed smoking ban, were shelved last year following a series of Government cutbacks.
This comes as the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, is set to meet the New York Mayor, Mr Michael Bloomberg, tomorrow to hear about the implementation of a comprehensive ban in that city. He will attend the United Nations today, where he will sign the World Health Organisation's framework convention on tobacco control.
In November 2001 Mr Martin announced that a director of tobacco control would be appointed to each of the 10 health boards. The director would be in charge of overseeing all tobacco-related policies, including the enforcement of the proposed smoking ban.
However, yesterday the Office for Tobacco Control (OTC) confirmed that the posts, seen as a key element in implementing a comprehensive anti-tobacco programme, were still unfilled in all health boards.
A spokeswoman for the OTC said it was informed by the health boards' chief executives last year that the posts were not being filled because of budgetary constraints. This followed a moratorium on recruitment last year.
She said the posts "would add considerably to the effectiveness of tobacco-control initiatives".
No date on when the positions will be filled has been given, and one board, the South Eastern Health Board, told The Irish Times the situation would not be reviewed until next year.
The director positions were a key initiative announced by the Minister in 2001, following the establishment of the OTC. A lack of cohesion between various anti-smoking initiatives had been previously identified.
The spokeswoman said the OTC remained confident that sufficient resources were in place to enforce the ban on smoking in the workplace.
A spokeswoman for Mr Martin said extra resources had been committed to anti-smoking measures. Funding had been allocated for 40 environmental health officers to enforce anti-smoking legislation, including the new smoking ban, she said.
Meanwhile, Mr Martin and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, have said there will be no phased implementation of the ban, which will come into effect on January 1st.
This comes as Fianna Fáil backbenchers opposed to a complete ban plan to urge a compromise at the next parliamentary party meeting. Mr Noel Davern said the public was only now realising the extent of the proposed ban.
He was speaking as an IMS poll in the Irish Independent yesterday suggested that support for the all-out ban had fallen from 67 per cent earlier this summer to 52 per cent.
Conor O'Clery in New York writes:
The so-called Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which Mr Martin will sign today calls for a general ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, or less severe restrictions in the case of countries like the US where a total prohibition would be unconstitutional.
The treaty, which takes effect if it is ratified by 40 countries - a target still not reached - would stop tobacco companies using hard-sell tactics aimed at teenagers and require health warnings to include pictures of cancer-ridden lungs. Last night the Minister met the NY deputy health commissioner, Dr Mary Bassett.