Publicans will face a court battle to hold onto their licences if they try to follow the failed effort by a Galway pub to breach the smoking laws, the Government has warned.
The Government's determination to break the budding revolt was illustrated yesterday by the direct involvement of the Attorney General, Mr Rory Brady in dealing with the Galway case.
Delighted by the decision of the Fibber Magees pub owner to back down, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said: "We were ready to go into the High Court at 6 o'clock. We had written to the publican. We had told him that we would enforce the law fully and absolutely. The law is being fully enforced. They have given us that in writing. The matter is now closed. We took firm action to make sure that the law was upheld. We are not going to tolerate people trying to defy the law. That is why we didn't do it through the normal channels. We did it through the Attorney General. I am glad that they have seen sense," Mr Ahern declared.
Warning other pubs, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said gardaí would oppose the District Court renewal of licences held by any publican involved in a smoking revolt.
An "immediate" instruction will go out to all Garda superintendents to lodge court objections if there are signs that anybody else "is thinking of following their example", he said.
"In order to have a liquor licence you have to be a person of good character. If you allow your premises to be used deliberately to break the law of the land, enacted by the legislature with the support of the great majority of the people, then that does go to your character.
"Lawlessness of that kind should be taken into account and will be the subject of objections if any campaign of this kind emerges," the Minster declared.
Responding to the retreat by the Galway publican, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said "the vast majority" of people wanted the smoking ban to work.
Clearly suspicious about the role being played by tobacco companies, the Minister said he was "under no illusions" that the industry is deeply concerned about the Irish ban. "In Britain, there is a raging debate going on. Sweden has declared that they are going to do it by next June. Norway has gone tobacco-free.
"New Zealand is intending to do so by the end of the year," the Minister went on, pointing out that the industry has consistently opposed tobacco control measures. I am not that naïve. I don't think the tobacco industry has gone away."
Asked if he had been concerned that the Galway revolt could have spread, the Minister said "any attempt to undermine the edifice" would be a cause of concern. Bar and restaurant workers' lives have been "transformed" by the ban: "That to me is a very important issue and should be highlighted," he said.