A date for the smoking ban will be announced within the next fortnight when a 90-day EU approval process ends, the Department of Health confirmed today.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, was forced to rescind the Tobacco Smoking (Prohibition) Regulations 2003 on Friday January 23rd on foot of a series of changes which included exemptions for hotel bedrooms, B&Bs, nursing homes, hospices, psychiatric hospitals and prisons.
Amendments were published last November and the amended regulations were then notified to the European Commission. Member-states were then given three months to raise objections, a period which expires on February 16th.
A spokeswoman for the Minister said today that no objections have yet been received. She said the Minister hoped to announce a date "within the next two weeks". The minister will sign into law a new statutory instrument with an implementation date expected by late March.
The Department of Health and the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) will run information campaigns making people aware of the date.
A spokeswoman for the OTC said guidelines for the licenced trade would be sent to all publicans along with notification of inspection methods. The guidelines have been redrawn following the introduction of the new exemptions.
The Minister for Health has said previously that he expects a legal challenge to the ban from elements of the hospitality sector.
