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THOUSANDS OF LOCAL PEOPLE DEMAND SMOKEFREE WORKPLACES
By Derval Keenan, 6/1/2005 12:22:58 PM
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35,000 votes in favour of an end to smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces in Northern Ireland were delivered today, Thursday 24 March 2005, to NI Health Minister, Angela Smith MP.
Doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals, the voluntary sector, charities and statutory organisations all came together on the steps of Stormont to deliver the huge postbag to the Minister.
The organisations united 6 weeks ago to raise awareness of the Ministers public consultation on whether or not Northern Ireland should have legislation to prevent smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces.
Through free-post postcard campaigns and public lobbying activities the organisations gained this massive response in favour of Option 5.c. in the A Healthier Future consultation document to ban smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces in Northern Ireland
Arlene Spiers, Chief Executive, Ulster Cancer Foundation, said: This huge response shows clearly that this is an issue the Northern Ireland people feel strongly about. The success of this campaign has been phenomenal and we would like to thank the public and the media for their overwhelming support.
Comparatively the Scottish Executive received 52,000 responses in favour of smokefree workplaces, a country which is three times bigger than Northern Ireland and which had four times longer to respond to their consultation.
The Ulster Cancer Foundations work in this field over a number of years has shown us that smokers, non-smokers, employees, employers, unions and customers all agree that workers should not be exposed to cancer-causing substances in the line of duty. The Minister must heed this huge public response in support of smokefree workplaces and must act quickly to implement comprehensive legislation.
The British Medical Association (NI) and the Royal College of Nursing (NI) were major players in the postcard campaign lobby. Dr Brian Patterson, BMA(NI) Chairman and Martin Bradley, RCN(NI) Director, said that their respective organisations had been promoting this action for many years. We see the distressing results of patients breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke and the often deadly consequences it brings.
This serious damage to health and loss of life must be stopped. Introducing legislation to prevent this happening is not about restricting civil liberties. It is about protecting workers and non-smokers from the harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke.
500 letters from doctors in favour of such a ban have already been delivered to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This latest response is overwhelming and cannot be ignored.
Andrew Dougal, Chief Executive of the NI Chest Heart and Stroke Association said: Recent research has shown that passive smoking increases the risk of stroke by more than 80%.
Thousands of local workers are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in the workplace, even though the leaked SCOTH report (2004), commissioned by the government, proved the link between lung cancer, heart disease and other respiratory diseases and exposure to second-hand smoke. Government has a duty to protect workers from second-hand smoke in the same way that we are protected by law from other class A carcinogens such as asbestos, arsenic and benzene.
A recent MORI survey showed that 69% of the Northern Ireland population favoured a complete smoking ban in workplaces and public places. Legislation in the Republic of Ireland has proved very successful with a compliance rate of 97%. Other countries, including Norway, Italy, New Zealand and Cuba have taken a similar lead.
The Northern Ireland coalition is determined that the health of local workers will be protected and should be addressed by Government as a number one priority.
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For further information please contact:
Derval Keenan, PR Officer, Ulster Cancer Foundation
Tel: 028 9049 2007 / 07812 525531
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