Wales to become first place in UK to ban smoking in children’s playgrounds
Wales is set to become the first place in the UK to introduce new smoke-free restrictions for school grounds, hospital grounds, public playgrounds and outdoor children’s care settings.
The restrictions are due to come into effect from 1 March 2021, the Health Minister has announced.
This will make Wales the first country in the UK to legislate for bans on smoking at playgrounds and school grounds.
Similar restrictions on hospital grounds are in the process of being implemented in Scotland.
The Welsh Government says the new smoke-free measures aim to protect people’s health 'from the harms of second-hand smoke and further de-normalise smoking behaviours' for children and young people.
Voluntary smoking bans are already in place in many of these settings but from March 2021, it will become an offence to smoke in these areas.
The Welsh Government says enforcement of this legislation will be via local authorities who will now have the powers to issue fixed-penalty notices.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “There is strong public support to restrict smoking where children are likely to be present. We will continue to take steps to de-normalise this habit and provide a very clear message for children. The evidence that smoking is harmful and damaging is clear cut and our message must be too.
“The restrictions for hospital grounds will promote behaviour change and support smoking cessation among smokers who use our hospital sites and services.
“The impact of Covid-19 has affected many areas of our lives, yet we are determined to continue to make sustained and positive changes. Whilst the evidence on smoking and Covid-19 is still emerging, smokers generally have an increased risk of contracting respiratory infections, such as Covid-19, and so the introduction of these requirements are supporting our response to the pandemic.
“We are committed to our longer-term goal of making more of Wales’ public spaces smoke-free, helping people to make positive changes to not only their own lives, but also to the health and well-being of their children and families.”
Smokers group Forest said it doesn't condone smoking in playgrounds or play areas, but added that some of the restrictions are "unnecessarily restrictive".
Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "We don't condone smoking in playgrounds or play areas but some of these restrictions are unnecessarily restrictive and have nothing to do with health.
"Smoking in the open air does not put anyone else's health at risk, including children, and there is little evidence that the sight of non-family members smoking encourages children to smoke.
"Banning smoking in hospital grounds, in particular, demonstrates a shocking lack of compassion for adults for whom a cigarette can be a comfort at a stressful time. It discriminates against the elderly and the infirm who may find it difficult to walk off site to smoke.
"Most adults use their common sense when smoking in public spaces. Further anti-smoking measures are an indictment not of smokers but of a worryingly interventionist government."