Smoking

It would appear that Liverpool Council is about to ask the government to introduce legislation which would allow the city to ban smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places. I went to Ireland last year not long after their national ban on smoking in the workplace, which effectively does the same thing. The one major difference it would appear, is the way the law would be enforced. In Ireland the responsibility is that of the employer, bar owner, restaurant owner etc. They could be fined for what amounts to putting their staff at risk by allowing smoking on the premises. This seemed to work fine and the customers appreciated the publican's dilemma and respected the ban. If in Liverpool the onus is placed on the police to go into a pub and start issuing fines or arresting people, it has the potential to lead to a lot of trouble... or the ban simply not working very effectively.