LONDON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Potential restrictions on outdoor smoking in the United Kingdom (UK) have this week sparked debate over the economic impact such measures could have.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the government is considering extending smoking bans in outdoor spaces such as pub gardens, parks, areas outside hospitals and sports grounds.
"I want us to move to a smoke-free environment, want to reduce those preventable deaths," Starmer said in an interview, adding that he hopes it will reduce the burden on the National Health Service (NHS) and the taxpayer.
However, the hospitality industry has called on the government to reconsider "misguided" curbs on smoking in pub gardens.
"We know from experience that this restriction would have a devastating impact on pubs who are already struggling with soaring energy prices and the cost of doing business," said Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association.
"The government must embark on a full and detailed conversation with affected parties on the impact of such a ban before any legislation is laid," said Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality. "It must also assess whether such a ban would achieve its aims of meaningfully reducing smoking or simply relocate smoking elsewhere, such as in the home."
Nicholls warned that the ban would affect not only pubs and nightclubs but also hotels, cafes and restaurants that have "invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges."
According to a YouGov poll of over 3,700 people across Britain, 58 percent of people support the potential ban, while 35 percent oppose it.
In another survey of over 12,000 adults conducted earlier this year by Action on Smoking and Health, about 75 percent of people in England and Scotland, and 69 percent in Wales, supported the government's smoke-free goals.
Smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces has been illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 2007, and in Scotland since 2006.
NHS statistics showed that in 2019, an estimated 74,600 deaths were attributable to smoking. Though this represented a 9-percent decrease from 2009, smoking remains one of the biggest causes of illness and death, costing the NHS and social care billions of pounds every year.
According to the NHS, 35 percent of all deaths from respiratory diseases, and 25 percent of all deaths from cancers, are attributable to smoking.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 12.9 percent of people aged 18 years and over in the UK, or around 6.4 million people, smoked cigarettes in 2022. ■
