Long welcomes Council smoking ban

12.00.00am GMT Thu 31st Mar 2005

ALLIANCE Councillor Naomi Long has said a smoking ban - which starts tomorrow April 1 - in all Belfast City Council buildings will lead to a healthier city.

Councillor Long, who proposed the ban earlier this year, said:

"This is no April Fool's joke, and the ban on smoking in all council-owned properties will mean a much healthier workplace for our workers. I believe all council workers have the right to work in an environment that is smoke-free, and I believe it will be well-received.

"Under law an employer has a responsibility to protect their staff from foreseeable and avoidable risk. Breathing in second hand smoke is exactly that.

"As well as the ban, the City Council is also offering staff courses to encourage them to give up smoking. Hopefully, this incentive will mean that more and more workers will no longer feel the need to smoke, and that can only be a positive thing."