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Health Bill

As the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, has made clear, Amendment No. 19 would reinstate the possibility of exempting membership clubs from the smoke-free provisions. I certainly do not doubt the strength and sincerity of the noble Lord’s views on this issue. However, as I have already said at earlier stages, the vote on Report in the other place was decisively in favour of extending smoke-free legislation to all pubs and private members’ clubs. The clear view by a 200 majority across all the parties was that private members’ clubs should be treated in the same way as other enclosed public places and workplaces. The noble Lord, Lord Naseby, is quite right about there being close to 20,000 membership clubs. But those membership clubs employ many people, so there are likely to be tens of thousands of employees, all of whom would be exposed to second-hand smoke if the amendment were passed. As the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, has made clear, those staff would be denied the protection given to other staff. The other place clearly took the view that the right of the employee not to be exposed to second-hand smoke should prevail and thereby increased their chances—if I may put it to the noble Lord, Lord Tebbit—of enjoying a pint at the age of 80. That was clearly the view taken in the other place. The noble Lord, Lord Tebbit, was of course not present at our last meeting when we explored at considerable length the evidence on second-hand smoke as a health hazard. To spare him the trouble of reading Hansard, I should say that if he goes to the Table in this Room, he will see a copy of the letter that I wrote to all noble Lords who were at the last Sitting of the Committee, at which we set out the evidence base of the health hazards of second-hand smoke. I commend it to him. It is my firm opinion that this House should not seek to overturn a decision taken by the other place, and on behalf of the Government I am unable to accept an amendment on this issue.