Kerry football manager and publican, Mr Páidi Ó Sé, has become the latest prominent figure to come out against the proposed ban on smoking in the workplace. Liam Reid reports.
Mr Ó Sé, who was appointed earlier this year by the Government to Fáilte Ireland, the State tourist authority, has called for a "compromise" on the proposed ban.
He warned that the ban could have a major negative economic impact on the tourism sector.
"The hospitality sector is having a bad year and cannot afford another major economic shock," Mr Ó Sé said in a statement released through the Irish Hospitality Industry Alliance (IHIA) which was established to lobby against an outright ban.
"An outright blanket ban on smoking could have a serious economic impact and it just couldn't be absorbed in this economic climate," he warned.
He predicted that significant sales decreases could result from the ban, and that these would have a disproportionate impact on small marginal rural businesses, such as guest houses and pubs.
"I respect what the Minister for Health wants to achieve, but there needs to be dialogue about the form of a ban or restrictions, and the steps to be taken to get to that position," he added.
"I believe the integrity of the ban can be maintained, but there still can be compromise. A guillotine coming down in January is too harsh and other measures should be looked at."
However, a spokeswoman for the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said Mr Ó Sé's fears about a negative impact on the hospitality or tourism sectors were unfounded.
"A study commissioned on behalf of the Department of Tourism showed there would be no negative impact on tourism numbers, and, in fact, visitors from some states would welcome an all-out ban."
She also rejected claims by the IHIA that the views of the Department of Enterprise and Employment on the economic impact of the ban had not been sought.
The group has called on Department of Health to seek its views as part of a current economic impact study.
"The ban is a cabinet decision, and Minister Martin has consulted and sought the views of his cabinet colleagues," she said. She also pointed out that the Health and Safety authority, which is part of the Department of Enterprise and Employment, was co-author of the expert report proposing the ban.
Meanwhile, only two out of 25 pubs contacted by the Farmer's Journal said they would be implementing the ban. According to this week's edition, the newspaper contacted 25 rural publicans between Cork and Donegal and asked them if they would implement the proposed ban.
The majority of those pubs contacted said the ban would be unworkable and unenforceable. However, a Department of Health spokeswoman said that the publicans had a duty of care towards their employees.
"This is a health and safety issue and there will be an onus on employers," she said. "Tobacco smoke is a Class A carcinogen and previous public health measures in this area, such as bans in cinemas and on aeroplanes, have shown that people do comply."