The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, will ask the Cabinet today to endorse regulations that will ban smoking in pubs and other places of work from the middle of next January.
If agreed, the regulations will be published this week and despite calls for some exemptions, it is not expected that the regulations will include any opt- outs.
While Mr Martin has acknowledged that there may be issues surrounding the introduction of the ban in prisons and psychiatric hospitals, he has not given any public commitment to consider an exemption.
It is expected that the regulations will ban smoking in all workplaces from Monday, January 19th, or the following Monday, January 26th. This will avoid any attempt to impose the ban on New Year's Eve, traditionally one of the busiest nights in pubs.
The regulations are expected to include provisions allowing the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority to give guidance to prison and hospital managers on the implementation of the ban.
They will also address such issues as the removal of ashtrays from pubs and the placing of signage indicating that the ban is in place.
They will ban smoking in all indoor areas bar areas, but not in open-air parts of pubs such as beer gardens.
