Political fallout: The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has claimed that the overwhelming majority of smokers are in favour of the ban on smoking in the workplace, which comes into effect today.
Mr Ahern described the ban as a "progressive health and safety measure" while the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said he expected more than 90 per cent compliance with the measure.
Stating that the ban will apply in some 200,000 places of work, Mr Martin said between six and eight weeks were required for the ban to bed down definitively.
The Government would not consider offering exemptions to pubs that proved their business had suffered due to the ban, he added.
After strenuous resistance to the measure last year within the Cabinet, the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party and the pub industry, Mr Ahern said yesterday that he was pleased that the way was now clear to enforce legislation.
"We have arrived at a stage where a non-smoking environment is now being regarded as the norm in our society," he said.
Specifying that smokers and non-smokers were backing the initiative, Mr Ahern said the ban had the overwhelming support of most people in Ireland.
"The media coverage and public debate generated by the smoke free at work regulations is a clear indication of just how important this issue has become and I am confident that this landmark legislation will contribute towards protecting the health of the nation," the Taoiseach said.
Rejecting claims that the pubs would lose business, he said a recent opinion poll found that twice as many people said they would visit bars more often than those who said they would visit bars less. "It also shows that nearly three in four people who visited a bar in the last two weeks are non-smokers and almost 60 per cent of smokers report that they will visit bars for a drink as often, or more often, after the ban comes into effect."
But while Mr Ahern was confident the measure would benefit future generations, Mr Martin played down suggestions that he would be remembered as the minister who introduced it.
He said he was happy to have implemented the measure but "whether I'm particularly remembered for it I don't know". On RTÉ radio, he said credit was due to the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority.
"I'm satisfied for the younger people growing up in Ireland today, a smoke-free workplace will be something that they will take for granted in the not-to-distant future," Mr Martin said.
The Fine Gael agriculture spokesman, Mr Billy Timmons, said he supported the ban but said the EU spent in excess of 70 times more money subsidising tobacco growers than on anti-smoking programmes. The subsidises cost €1 billion compared with the €13 million spent on anti-smoking measures.
"The continued financial backing of the EU for tobacco growers is sending out a mixed message, and it's the wrong message," said Mr Timmons.
