Press releases

February 10, 2005

LEADING LUNG CANCER CHARITY SUPPORTS SCOTTISH BID FOR SMOKING BAN

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation¹ has added its weight to evidence supporting the Scottish Parliament’s Bill to ban smoking in enclosed public places.

The Foundation has also expressed its disappointment that Scottish-born Health Secretary Dr John Reid is reluctant to offer workers in England the same protection from the harmful toxins in second-hand smoke which the Scottish Executive is proposing.

The Smoking, Health and Social Care ( Scotland) Bill seeks to ban smoking in enclosed public places and to introduce provisions for smoke-free workplaces by 2006.

As the Health Committee’s investigation into the Scottish Bill drew to a close today (Friday, February 11), Chris Owens, who gave evidence to the investigation in her role as the Foundation’s Head of Tobacco Control, said:

“Smoking is not only a threat to smokers; second-hand smoking has been established beyond doubt as a cause of serious disease, including, in particular, lung cancer, in non-smokers”.

Mike Unger, the Foundation’s Chief Executive, added: “This is not about a person’s right to smoke. It is about where, and possibly when, they smoke. No one should be exposed to harmful substances just to earn a living and this is what is happening in any workplace where smoking is unrestricted. No-one can argue that a worker’s right to clean air should be eroded to accommodate a smoker.”

The Foundation has also made a submission to the House of Commons Health Select Committee inquiry into the government’s Public Health White Paper. In its evidence, the Foundation urged the government to commit to legislation prohibiting smoking in all UK workplaces.

When Dr Reid appears before the committee on February 23, the Foundation hopes the committee will succeed in persuading him to reconsider his plans – and to fall into line with the provisions in the Private Bills being brought by Liverpool and London.

These Bills, which call for greater protection for workers against second-hand smoke, are due to have their Second Reading in the House of Lords on March 11, before being referred for full scrutiny in committee.

In view of the lack of UK-wide smoke-free provision, the Foundation also welcomes Julie Morgan MP's Smoking in Public Places ( Wales) Bill – due for Second Reading in the House of Commons on March 18. This Bill aims to enable the National Assembly for Wales to prohibit or restrict the smoking of tobacco products in a public place in Wales.

Mr Unger concluded: “The time has come for action on second-hand smoke which is responsible for the deaths of at least 1000 people in the UK every year.

“We know that exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer in a non-smoker by between 20% and 30%. It is more than 10 years since Roy Castle, a life long non-smoker, died from lung cancer which was almost certainly caused by his workplace exposure to second-hand smoke.”

Notes to Editors

¹The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the world wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer – the biggest cancer killer in the UK. Our approach benefits current and future lung cancer sufferers alike:

* we fund Research Programmes to detect lung cancer at a very early stage, which will save lives and is vital to the development of a future therapy

* we offer Patient Support, Advocacy and an Information Network offering information, guidance and support relevant to the needs of lung cancer patients and their families

* we facilitate Support Groups across the UK that assist sufferers to come to terms with the disease and provide patient advocacy services

* We operate ‘Quit Smoking’ services for adults (Fag Ends) and our KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) educational programme that encourages young people never to start

* we run fundraising events and charity shops, both of which help to generate much needed voluntary donations (public and corporate) on which we rely