The Government's smoking ban in pubs and restaurants is to go ahead, despite the reservations expressed by over 20 members of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, the Dáil was told.
"From January 2004, smoking will be prohibited in the workplace," said the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. "The primary purpose of the prohibition is to protect workers and the public from exposure to harmful toxic environmental tobacco smoke."
The issue was debated for two hours at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, on Tuesday, with deputies and senators calling for a compromise formula. However, Mr Ahern, replying to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, yesterday morning, made it clear the ban was going ahead as planned.
Mr Kenny said that, during the summer, a senior Minister publicly disagreed with the Government's collective decision and his lead was followed by a Minister of State and several backbenchers.
"On last night's evidence, it appears that the smoke signals coming from the Fianna Fáil workplace seriously undermine the Government's decision," he added. "This is happening when the newspapers are filled with a veritable litany of mismanagement of the public's business and money. I do not know whether this is the ultimate smokescreen devised by Fianna Fáil."
Mr Ahern said that the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, was proceeding with an important public health initiative based on the recommendations of the Report on the Health Effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke in the Workplace, which were already in the public domain.
"The report was prepared by an independent scientific group commissioned by the Office for Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority and was published in January of this year. At that stage, the Minister announced the ban would take effect from next January, which it will," he added.
The Taoiseach said he believed there was a consensus within the international scientific community on the negative health effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
The World Health Organisation, he added, has classified environmental tobacco smoke as a class A carcinogen. The damaging effect of tobacco smoke was indisputable.
"I am delighted to hear Deputy Kenny's interest in my parliamentary party meetings. There was enormous support for the principle and practically all the detail of the Minister's proposal," said Mr Ahern. "Some expressed other views about this issue, as others in the public domain would do. The prohibition was announced a year in advance of the starting date, to allow a reasonable time for employers, businesses and the public to adopt the changes required. To be able to work and socialise in a clean, smoke-free environment will have health benefits for all concerned."
Pressed further by Mr Kenny to say if there would be a compromise relating to the introduction of the ban, the Taoiseach replied: "I will reiterate what I said. From January, smoking will be prohibited in the workplace."
Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) asked Mr Ahern if he agreed it was strange "that the largest party in the House is obsessed with whether to introduce a full or partial ban on smoking in public houses, when the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has appealed to the Health and Safety Authority to carry out an immediate investigation of the risks to patients and staff in overcrowded accident and emergency departments in hospitals". More and more patients were being treated on trolleys in hospital corridors, he added.
Mr Ahern said there were 96,000 people working in the health service, an increase of 30 per cent in the past few years. "There are now almost 500 additional consultants, 8,200 extra nurses, 650 extra training places for nurses and an enormous increase in the number of occupational and speech therapists," he added.
But difficulties had arisen in the health service and there were problems on occasions in hospitals, said Mr Ahern.
