Regulations necessary to operate the smoking ban in pubs and restaurants from the new year will be published by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, within weeks, the Department of Health and Children has said.
The declaration came as the last signs of organised opposition to the Minister from within the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party faded away, following the Taoiseach's determined support for his Cabinet colleague in the Dáil yesterday.
The Minister for Health will today outline in blunt terms the economic cost to the State of the smoking habit when he addresses a conference hosted by the Office of Tobacco Control, which will examine international experience.
Fianna Fáil Tipperary South TD Mr Noel Davern, one of the leaders of the party opposition, conceded yesterday that little more could be done to persuade Mr Martin from going ahead with the total ban on January 12th next.
"That would seem to be the end of my intervention," Mr Davern said. Asked if he would abide by the new regulation, Mr Davern said that as a public representative, he would "certainly have to comply with a law passed by Dáil Éireann".
"I try to obey every law of both God and man. My intention would be to obey it, although I'll probably get pneumonia from standing outside a pub."
One of the leading anti-ban lobbies, the Irish Hospitality Industry Alliance, drew comfort from the vocal opposition of more than 20 Fianna Fáil TDs at the parliamentary party meeting.
The restriction is being brought into force under the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2002 and therefore it can be done without the need for further legislation.
Opponents of the plan now believe it can be stopped only if the Minister and his officials bungle the drafting of the regulations.
"We are literally tidying them up at the moment. The Minister will sign a commencement order, followed by the regulations a couple of days later," a spokeswoman for the Minister told The Irish Times last night.
Two Ministers of State, Mr Frank Fahey and Mr Pat "The Cope" Gallagher, backed calls for compromise at the parliamentary party meeting.
However, one Fianna Fáil TD cautioned that there was already strong anecdotal evidence that hotels in the Border counties could lose major functions. "There are signs that people are prepared to hold their events on the other side of the Border," he said.
Today's Office of Tobacco Control conference, to be held in the Westbury Hotel in Dublin, will focus on the costs of smoking and its impact on the productivity of the Irish workforce.
The keynote speaker, Mr Robert Welte of the Department of Health Economics, University of Ulm, Germany, will detail the bill left by smoking in Germany and the Netherlands.
UCD economist Dr David Madden will use international research to estimate the cost of smoking to the Exchequer and to companies here.
