Public consultation

Smoke-free legislation: the public consultation

In 2004, the Scottish Executive published its Tobacco Control Action Plan.  One of the action points from this Plan was the intention to ‘sponsor a major public debate on actions to minimise the impact of second-hand smoke’.

A public consultation relating to smoking in public places was launched in June 2004. A number of specific studies were commissioned at this time by Health Scotland to support and inform the consultation:

• The report Passive smoking and associated causes of death in adults in Scotland estimates the number of deaths amongst adults in Scotland caused by exposure to second-hand smoke.
• The report International review of the health and economic impact of the regulation of smoking in public places summarises international evidence about the impacts of smoke-free legislation. It also examines how it might affect Scotland's economy and people's health.
• The report Workplace smoking policies in Scotland provided an audit of workplace smoking policies in Scotland in 2004. The study involved two stages. A quantitative survey used telephone interviews with those responsible for developing and implementing smoking policies in 1600 workplaces in Scotland. This was followed by qualitative research with managers and staff in 17 workplaces.  

The Tobacco Control Action Plan can be accessed from www.clearingtheairscotland.com website.