Smokefree legislation
On 1 July 2007 the biggest change of health legislation in the last 50 years will take effect.
From this day onwards the law on smoking in England will change, and it will no longer be allowed in the majority of 'wholly' or 'substantially' enclosed public spaces.
- What is a 'wholly' or 'substantially' enclosed space
- What businesses need to do
- Business advice
- Smoking shelters
There are very few exemptions from the legislation. The new law will affect most public premises including workplaces, licensed premises such as bars, pubs, hotels, all types of clubs, cafés and restaurant and work vehicles.
A small number of exemptions apply. These include certain private dwellings, designated bedrooms in hotels or guest houses, designated rooms in care homes, hospices and prisons, offshore installations, designated rooms in certain research and testing facilities, specialist tobacconists and performers.
Designated rooms in residential mental health units also have a temporary exemption until 1 July 2008.
What are the penalties for breaching the regulations?
Businesses who fail to ensure that the smokefree legislation is adhered to could incur one of the following penalties:
- Failure to prevent smoking in a smokefree premises carries a maximum fine of £2,500 if convicted for the premises owner
- Failure to display, or incorrectly displaying, no-smoking signs carries either a maximum fine of £1,000 if convicted, or a fixed penalty notice of £200
- Any individual can also be fined upto £200 for smoking in a smokefree premises
Business advice
A number of fact sheets have been produced to explain how the smokefree legislation will affect different premises. Click on any of the links below to find out more:
