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UCF call on MEP?s for Action Against Smoking
By Derval Keenan, 9/8/2004 12:04:17 PM
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The Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF) have received cross party support from Northern Ireland?s three newly appointed MEP?s in their campaign to introduce healthy smokefree workplaces.
UCF had written to all of the EU Election Candidates prior to the elections urging them to put the workplace smoking ban at the top of their agenda and are pleased with this response from Jim Nicholson, UUP, MEP, Jim Allister, DUP, MEP and Bairbre de Brun, Sinn Fein, MEP.
For many years UCF?s Action on Smoking and Health Campaign (ASH NI) has called for effective general tobacco control policies and more recently has specifically lobbied local parties to support a ban on smoking in public places.
Arlene Spiers, Chief Executive, Ulster Cancer Foundation said, ?The European Union has been the forum leading on tobacco control policies including advertising labelling and contents. It?s encouraging to know that all three Northern Ireland representatives support the need to protect local employees from carcinogen?s in the workplace and can work on this issue in Brussels.
?The Republic of Ireland, was the first country in the European Union to implement the smoking ban. The legislation is working well with 97% of inspected premises complying with the law according to a report published by the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC). Given this positive response to the ban we feel the time is right to introduce a similar ban in Northern Ireland.
?The large majority of Northern Ireland?s population (74%) are non-smokers and there is significant support for a policy to be implemented in all working environments for the safety of staff and their customers. We are calling on the European Candidates to ensure that workers in Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe will enjoy the same protection as employees in the Republic of Ireland, Norway, and parts of the USA.
?More than half of non-smoking employees are exposed to tobacco smoke at sometime in UK workplaces, while around three million people in the UK have to endure it daily at work. Government action is urgently required to protect them. Second-hand smoke is the only proven human carcinogen that is unregulated during working hours. Making these places smokefree not only protects vulnerable staff and the public, it will also help more than 300,000 people to stop smoking.?
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For further information please contact Derval Keenan, PR and Events Officer, UCF on Tel: 028 9049 2007 / dervalkeenan@ulstercancer.org
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