asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to ban smoking in areas where food for the general public is prepared and consumed commercially. [HL1451]

Current food hygiene legislation prohibits smoking in food preparation areas in commercial food businesses.There are no plans to introduce specific legislation to impose a ban on customers smoking in the public areas of commercial food businesses on the grounds of food safety. However, in recent years there has been a strong move towards the provision of no smoking areas and smoking bans in many food businesses to reflect changes in customer attitudes and acceptance of smoking arrangements in public places. The licensed hospitality industry has developed its own Public Places Charter to improve facilities for non-smokers in pubs, bars and restaurants. The Government have strongly supported this initiative.