ASH Ireland Welcomes return to Sanity and Clean Air

Date: 08 July 2004

ASH Ireland welcomes the return to clean air in a Galway pub, which puts an end to four days of blatant flouting of crucial health and safety legislation. Whether this was a publicity stunt or an act of defiance is quite irrelevant. It is entirely unacceptable that a successful businessman, owner of several pubs, can flout the law and also encourage others to do so.

The Western Health Board are to be commended on their response to this issue and we expect other Health Boards will promptly respond to breeches in the legislation. The strong words by Minister McDowell in relation to the possible threat to pub licenses is also welcomed.

All Irish citizens are entitled to clean air in the workplace – and this legislation ensures this. It is simply not acceptable that one person can insist that others must breathe in a class one carcinogen when both parties socialise in a local pub. This legislation has been crucially important for asthma sufferers and people with other ailments – who were unable to socialise in their local pub because of the negative impact of tobacco smoke.