Since it became illegal to smoke in enclosed public places in Northern Ireland on 30 April 2007, councils have reported near total compliance among businesses. Staff from the 26 district councils have found a 99.5% compliance with the ban, which has now been in force for over a month. Of the 17,393 inspections carried out by 266 environmental health staff, only 0.5% of businesses were found to be non-compliant with no-smoking requirements and 4.5% with no-smoking signage.
The majority of non-compliance was related to smoking shelters, however following guidance from environmental health officers many businesses and workplaces are now in the process of making amendments to enable external smoking areas to become compliant. Those businesses who failed to display no-smoking signs have now been provided with them and reminded they could face a £200 fixed penalty notice if they do not put them up. In addition, 65 warning letters have been issued. In cases where premises were not smoke-free or smoking shelters were found to be non-compliant, verbal warnings were given and 42 written warnings issued.
Sam Knox, chairman of the Chief Environmental Health Officers Group said, "People in Northern Ireland have fully embraced the new law and we are all now benefiting from a cleaner and healthier environment in which to work and relax. Environmental health departments will continue to provide a supportive environment for businesses and others to comply with the legislation."
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