A BILL from the Green Party to ban smoking in all public areas and nightclubs is being examined by the parliamentary parties.
The Greens’ leader, George Perdikis, yesterday presented the issue to the House Health Committee, where he called for better implementation of the existing law.
The issue was recently highlighted by EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, who was appalled to note Cypriots’ disrespect for the smoking ban and sent a letter to the Justice Minister on the matter.
Responding, Minister Kypros Chrysostomides said there were serious shortcomings in the existing law, including the exceptionally low penalties for violating the law.
“The implementation of the legislation will be much more effective if our bill is adopted,” Perdikis told the Committee.
A spokesman for the Justice Ministry explained that discussions were already under way with the Health Ministry to identify the shortcomings and prepare an improved bill.
He added that despite the various loopholes, in the first eight months of the smoking ban’s implementation, police carried out 21,281 checks and reported 1,086 violations.
The police spokesman added that from August until September, there had been a 110 per cent increase in fines imposed for violations.
On behalf of the Nightclubs’ Association, Thanos Leventis disagreed with the proposal for a blanket smoking ban and said ways needed to be found to improve current laws.
He added that there were studies showing that proper ventilation could allow the coexistence of smokers and non-smokers in closed areas, without discrimination.
Leventis also suggested more emphasis on preventing young people from smoking at school.
Speaking after the meeting, Perdikis said it was time the situation changed, with non-smokers making up 75 per cent of the population and yet being forced to become passive smokers.
He also invoked a recent study that showed that 91 per cent of Cypriots agreed with a smoking ban in closed public areas and nightclubs. He also called on his fellow MPs to decide whether they preferred protecting the public’s health or personal financial interests.
Stand in Chairman of the Health Committee, DISY’s Stella Kyriakidou, said the law needed to be clarified and confirmed the parliamentary parties had been asked to examine Perdikis’ proposal before offering their position on the matter.
