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Press Releases and Articles BISLWELCOMES SMOKE-FREE REGULATIONS BISL Welcomes Smoke Free Regulations ****PRESS RELEASE**** BISL WELCOMES SMOKE-FREE REGULATIONS Business In Sport and Leisure (BISL) has welcomed the publication today of the consultation on regulations for smoke-free premises. Caroline Flint MP, Minister for Public Health, announced the draft regulations in a written statement to Parliament. These regulations add detail to the ban on smoking in public places, which forms part of the Health Bill, currently in its last stages in Parliament. Royal assent for the bill is expected before the summer recess. However, BISL sounded a note of caution about the timescales involved in preparing venues for the ban. The organisation urged the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to provide guidance for local planning authorities to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in the granting of planning permission for outside areas. Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of Business In Sport and Leisure said: “I am delighted that the Department of Health has published these draft regulations before the Health Bill has completed its parliamentary progress and we welcome the opportunity to respond to the consultation. However, we now urge the Government to work across departments to ensure that implementation of a smoking ban occurs as smoothly as possible. “The consultation period for these regulations only ends in October which could mean as little as 6 months after the final version is published before the ban comes into effect. It is imperative that DCLG publish guidance urgently to assist local authority planning officers in processing the relevant planning applications as quickly as possible. We are fully behind the implementation of the ban, but are concerned that the industry should be given enough chance to prepare properly.” For further information please contact Brigid Simmonds on 020 8780 2377 Note to Editors:
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