No compromise or delay of any kind will be allowed in the introduction of the blanket ban on smoking in the workplace, according to the Minister for Health, writes Marie O'Halloran
Rejecting the latest compromise proposals from publicans to limit the blanket pub smoking ban, Mr Martin effectively dismissed any further attempts to dilute his initiative, no matter who sought it.
"There is no room for compromise or delay when it comes to such a serious health issue," he said.
Publicans yesterday called for a two-year delay in the full ban, and the introduction of a partial one, including a prohibition on smoking at the bar counter and for pubs to become 50 per cent smoking and 50 per cent non-smoking.
The Licensed Vintners' Association (LVA) and the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI), have also called for pubs with five employees or fewer to be totally excluded from the ban, a move which would affect an estimated 1,000 premises
The associations, which between them represent 95 per cent of all retail alcohol sales in licensed premises, said they were committed to install ventilation equipment, which would allow a complete change of air every five minutes.
Describing their proposals as a "realistic alternative", they called for a two-year time-frame to allow for the completion of ventilation, followed by a formal review, with the option of a complete ban if conditions did not substantially improve.
Mr Donall O'Keeffe, the LVA's chief executive, said the proposals would "go a long way towards meeting the Government's objectives for improved working conditions while offering customers choice".
Mr Tadg O'Sullivan, chief executive of the VFI, said their response was reasonable, considered, "it is workable, we can deliver on it and particularly important, we think it's the right thing to do".
The Minister vehemently disagrees. He said the ban was announced a year before its implementation to allow employers and businesses to adapt to the change and a further two-year delay would "serve no purpose and would merely force employees to work in an unsafe environment for an unnecessarily extended period of time".
He also rejected the designated smoking areas option and said that tobacco smoke "permeates the entire atmosphere of a room, regardless of where the actual smoking takes place and without regard to areas which are designated as 'smoking' or 'non-smoking'.
"This is not a realistic or acceptable option." There was a consensus in the international scientific community that "there is no safe level of exposure to this carcinogen".
The vintners plan to lobby all TDs and senators and have demanded an immediate meeting with the Minister.
Mr Martin will meet the vintners, but his spokesman said the discussion would be about the implementation of the ban, "as opposed to "any watering down" of the initiative.
The trade union, Mandate, said vintners should not be allowed to "use bar workers as guinea pigs" in their proposed two-year experiment with failed ventilation systems.