Sir, - Your report on the Eastern Health Board's research on non-smoking areas in pubs (The Irish Times, August 19th) pointed out much of what we already know about the issue. Many customers and staff simply don't like the amount of smoke in pubs. But non-smoking areas are not the best or the only way to make pubs less smoky and more appealing.
Many pubs are small and operate in a single room. For them, physically separating smokers and non-smokers is impossible. In larger pubs the tendency of customers to move around and talk to each other - which after all is why most people go to the pub - will make such a system unworkable. In some others there may be a demand for a non-smoking area, especially if they serve food, and we certainly are seeing more being operated in as a result.
We favour a much more flexible approach which aims to get rid of the smoke, not just put up signs and divide up groups who have come out to socialise together. We are developing techniques and technology with the ventilation industry that will bring more fresh air into pubs and be much more effective at removing the smoke. Where we have tried these techniques in practice, the results in staff and customer satisfaction as well as trading performance have been excellent.
We are working with a whole group of industry suppliers, through our own organisation and with the trade press to get over the message that simple, cost-effective measures (which include non-smoking areas among an array of other option) can make a huge difference in getting rid of the smoke. We would very much welcome the support of the Eastern Health Board for this flexible initiative which we believe will make pubs much cleaner environments, without exiling the smoking customers who are vital to our business. - Yours, etc.,
Tadg O'Sullivan, Chief Executive, Vintners' Federation of Ireland, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.