ASH, 16 Fitzhardinge Street, London, W1H 9PL. Tel. 0171 224 0743 Fax. 0171
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ASH Daily News
Thursday 25th February 1999
Headlines
No firm plans for national ID cards.
Philip Morris to shut a Kentucky plant.
Council rethink on smoking ban.
Smoking sign plan.
Airline bans teacher for smoking during flight.
Full Text
No firm plans for national ID cards.
The Publican Newspaper reports that prospects for a government national
identity card has receded following the launch of a privately-funded scheme.
Home Office Minister, George Howarth attended the launch of CitizenCard last
week and hinted that a state scheme could now be years away. Howarth said
ministers now had no firm plans for a government-led scheme, which many
publicans view as the only way for ending confusion for retailers. Guild of
Master Victualler’s chairman, Joe O’Riordan said: "I am
disappointed. If the government, police and courts want to help the trade stop
under-age drinking, the only way is to introduce a compulsory or voluntary
government-led ID card. At the moment the full weight lies with the
licensee."
Howarth wants to see if the card schemes such as CitizenCard, Validate and
The Portman Group’s Prove It! Card can tackle under-age drinking and other
youth crime before pressing ahead with a government scheme.
Source: The Publican newspaper 25/02/99
 
Philip Morris to shut a Kentucky plant.
Philip Morris, plans to phase out cigarette production at its Kentucky plant
by December 2000, resulting in a pre-tax charge of about $200 million in the
first half of 1999. Philip Morris said it will consolidate production at
manufacturing facilities in Richmond, Virginia and North Carolina to adjust its
production capacity and maintain cost competitiveness.
Source: Wall Street Journal Europe 25/02/99

Council rethink on smoking ban.
A tobacco ban on council workers may be relaxed after non-smokers demanded
time off to match the cigarette breaks taken by smokers. West Lothian Council
found many non-smokers wanted smoking colleagues to have to clock in and out to
smoke. Many of the 651 people who responded to a survey, including some
non-smokers, wanted smoke rooms to be made available.
Source: Daily Record 24/02/99
 
Smoking sign plan.
Pub industry bosses have met to create a pub sign which licensees could use
to advertise facilities for non-smokers. Final designs are not yet complete, but
the idea is to create a universal symbol, which would be widely recognised by
pub customers. Phil Phillips, who represented the British Hospitality
Association at the meeting, said: "We have to able to deliver, having
promised the government that we can regulate ourselves without a smoking
ban." He added: "We want a design which satisfies both the Department
of Health and pub customers."
Source: The Publican newspaper 22/02/99
 
Airline bans teacher for smoking during flight.
A teacher had to pay an extra £600 to fly home from Canada after being
caught smoking on a British jet. Josefa Perez was banned from boarding an
Airtours return flight to Manchester after she lit up in the aircraft toilet.
Perez has been banned for life from Airtours along with her boyfriend, Shane
Baker, for being rude and abusive. An airline spokesman said: "British
airlines will no longer accept behaviour that puts the safety of staff at
risk."
Source: Daily Star, The Times, Daily Telegraph 25/02/99

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