Government plans to ban smoking in the majority of enclosed public spaces in England, ranging from offices to restaurants, within four years were labelled a "bodge" yesterday. John Reid, the Health Secretary, found himself under attack from anti-smoking campaigners for introducing "half-measures" while the Tories said he was adopting a "nanny state approach" by extending the role of Whitehall into "individual liberty and lifestyle". Mr Reid, 57, who has given up both alcohol and cigarettes, said smoking would be outlawed in 90 per cent of pubs if Labour won the next election. He said the Government was protecting the rights of the majority to go to work or out for a meal or drink without the "damage, inconvenience or pollution" from second-hand smoke - while allowing a much more limited choice for the minority who smoked. The curbs were the most controversial element of the 206-page White Paper, Choosing Health. Other major proposals included restrictions on the promotion of unhealthy foods to children, clear labelling of the nutritional content of food, action to curb "binge drinking" and tackle sexually transmitted diseases, and NHS "trainers" to provide advice to individuals on healthy lifestyles. advertisement Mr Reid, who earlier this year said a cigarette was sometimes the only enjoyment available to a "21-year-old single mother of three on a council estate", said the smoking ban would be applied in stages. Government departments and the NHS would lead the way - all being smoke-free by the end of 2006. By the end of 2007, all enclosed public places and workplaces would be smoke-free. By the end of 2008 arrangements for licensed premises would be in place. All restaurants and pubs and bars preparing and serving food would be smoke-free. Other pubs and bars not serving prepared food would be free to choose whether to allow smoking or not. So would membership clubs, such as golf clubs. But smoking in the area around the bar would be prohibited in all premises to protect staff. Kenneth Clarke, the Conservative former chancellor and deputy chairman of British American Tobacco, the cigarette manufacturer, accused ministers of allowing "puritan bureaucrats and campaigners" to tell people how to lead their lives. "It is not just tobacco. It is alcohol, it is chips, chocolate and McDonald's hamburgers," he told ITN. The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents 40,000 public houses, accused Mr Reid of introducing a "ban on eating" in pubs rather than a ban on smoking. There would be a clear incentive for publicans to shut their kitchens to avoid the regulations. Prof Alex Markham, of Cancer Research UK, said it was "bizarre" that the Government had accepted the wisdom of a ban but was then happy to deny its benefits to staff in private clubs. Action on Smoking on Health said Mr Reid's last-ditch defence of smoking in pubs and clubs had led to a "ridiculous bodge". Second-hand smoke was a serious health issue for pub staff. Mr Reid accepted that men and women had a right within the law to choose their own lifestyle, even when it might damage their health. "But people do not have the right to damage the health of others, or to impose an intolerable degree of inconvenience or nuisance on others. We therefore intend to shift the balance significantly in favour of smoke-free environments," he added. Mr Reid said at least £1 billion would be spent by the Government on public health in the next three years and claimed that there could eventually be savings of £30 billion by tackling preventable illnesses. Andrew Lansley, the Conservative health spokesman, accused Mr Reid of offering "gimmicks and threats of a nanny state". He said the Secretary of State wanted a "Carole Caplin" approach to health policy, recruiting lifestyle gurus when the NHS was short of physiotherapists, midwives and district nurses. Publishers wishing to reproduce photographs on this page should phone 44 (0) 207 538 7505 or e-mail syndication@telegraph.co.uk
UK Health Secretary John Reid has proposed widespread legislative and health care changes in a new white paper on public health released Tuesday. Titled "Choosing Health", the paper details government plans to restrict smoking in public places, limit 'junk food' advertisements to children, make available "lifestyle trainers", campaign against sexually transmitted diseases and tobacco, and improve food labelling.

The white paper comes after extensive public comment that involved 150,000 people.

Smoking would be restricted in enclosed public spaces, restaurants, workplaces, and some pubs. The ban would be enacted gradually, affecting government and NHS buildings in 2006, enclosed public places in 2007, and private property in 2008. Permanent exemption would be granted to pubs that do not serve prepared food -- though not at the bar -- as well as private clubs, a decision that has provoked some to call the measure incomplete. Up to 90% of pubs are expected to be affected. The Scottish executive proposed a complete ban on smoking in enclosed public places last week, and Ireland has already banned smoking in pubs and restaurants.

Food advertisements targeted to children would be banned until 9pm, under the White Paper's proposals. The restriction is a measure to tackle rising rates of childhood obesity. The government also intends to develop voluntary standards on food and drink advertisements to children with industry, only threatening legislation if an acceptable standard is not reached by 2007. Additionally, low income families would receive vouchers for fresh fruit, vegetables, milk, and infant formula. School lunches would also be held to stricter nutritional standards. Reid has warned that unless childhood obesity is tackled, "we face the prospect of children having shorter life expectancy than their parents".

Food labelling would also be improved, with a "traffic light" system implemented. Packaged food would be evaluated based on its fat, sugar, and salt content.

The paper is unusual for suggesting a more holistic approach to health care, offering for the first time "lifestyle trainers." The National Health Service would be funding with an additional £1bn to make people's overall lives healthier, which is expected to save £30bn in preventable illness.

The paper additionally makes mention of reducing accidents, which affected 2.7m people last year and is a leading cause of child death, curb binge drinking, and reduce substance abuse among youths.

The paper has been criticized by many parties. The Tory Shadow Health Secretary has criticized the Labour government's comprehensiveness and creation of a "new nanny state approach". He has additionally described it as "gimmicks". The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of not being comprehensive enough. It has also been criticized by the British Medical Association as being implemented too slowly, saying "When lives need saving, doctors act immediately".

Mr. Reid has argued against the nanny state label, saying "In a free society, men and women ultimately have the right within the law to choose their own lifestyle, even when it may damage their own health. But people do not have the right to damage the health of others, or to impose an intolerable degree of inconvenience or nuisance on others ... This is a sensible solution which balances the protection of the majority with the personal freedom of the minority in England".

The full white paper "Choosing Health" can be read  here.