Kevin Rowan
Nov 14 2005 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal The Journal
When ministers stumble upon a successful sound bite, it is amazing how you then hear it from different quarters.
In the last week, in the wake of the Terror Bill, the phrase doing the rounds is along the lines of "the first principle of government is to ensure the health and safety of its citizens".
I couldn't agree more. Let's consider what it means in another issue coming up this month - the Health Bill and, in particular, the protection from second-hand smoke at work.
There is no disputing the fact that second-hand smoke kills.
At least one bar worker dies each week as a result of passive smoking at work.
Thousands more become ill and have to leave the industry because they have asthma or develop other conditions caused by passive smoking.
World Health Organisation research shows that, while ventilation removes the smell of smoke, carcinogens remain.
There is no reason why workers should be protected from carcinogens in pubs selling food, but not in premises that do not, as the current Bill proposes.
About 120,000 smokers die every year from smoking-related diseases - six times the number of people killed in road accidents.
The North-East is one of the worst areas in the UK, with 30% of the population smoking, compared with 27% in the country as a whole.
The region has one of the worst mortality rates, with 85 men and 44 women per 100,000 contracting lung cancer each year, compared to the national average of 72 men and 35 women.
Smoking is the biggest single preventable cause of premature death, with 15 people a day dying from their smoking habit.
Ending smoking in all workplaces would reduce the numbers of deaths dramatically.
The North-East population has some of the worst health in the UK - a major factor behind the region's poor economic performance and continuing social deprivation.
The Regional Economic Strategy acknowledges the importance of creating healthier workplaces to increase productivity and tackle the causes of ill health.
For a better economy, and because of that first principle of government, the Health Bill should ban smoking in all workplaces. Anything else would be negligent.
