The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has elaborated on this morning's Irish Times report that smoking is to be banned in restaurants and pubs at times when food is being served.
New legislation that will "radically" step up environmental controls on tobacco smoking in the workplace, restaurants and pubs serving food is currently being drafted, he said this morning on RTÉ's
Morning Ireland.
Mr Martin said the new restrictions would apply to not only restaurants, but all pubs serving food.
"One has to have equity between different eating establishments. You can't discriminate against one particular type of eating establishment," he said.
"It is not fair to say to restaurants who have borne the brunt of all tobacco controls up to this particular point in our community that we are prohibiting it in restaurants but we are not going to do anything in pubs, when we know that many pubs are very significant eating establishments in their own right.
"In pubs we are talking about when food is served. But food isn't served all throughout the day. When food is not being served, the controls do not apply".
He said that if customer walked in and ordered a sandwich in a bar during the day then smoking would have to stop. It would be the responsibility of the proprietor to ensure the law was enforced.
The Vintners Federation of Ireland insisted today that it would be difficult to regulate the new legislation.
The VFI chairman, Mr Tadhg O'Sullivan, said his members approved of improving air quality for the public, but added that a proper balance must be struck.
The new legislation will also outlaw smoking carriages on inter-city trains, and smoking will be banned in workplaces, apart from in designated smoking rooms. Smoking is already illegal on buses and in public offices and buildings.
