Smoking ban

Sir, The Medical Journalists’ Association has made an award to ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) for its campaign to ban smoking in public places (report, July 8).

Although ASH may have embraced this policy in more recent times, the original initiative came in 1976-77 from the Department of Health, in which I served at that time. ASH made it quite clear then that they wanted nothing to do with such a policy lest it jeopardise other campaigns, especially one to ban all cigarette advertising.

The department, nevertheless, decided to make the first moves. I was present in support of David Ennals, then the Secretary of State, when he met a number of leaders of private and nationalised industries in an attempt to prompt some steps in the direction of cutting back smoking in public places. As a direct result of his efforts, British Rail, London Transport, some leading airlines and airports responded positively. Smoking areas in mainline trains, on the Tube, London buses and airport waiting areas were reduced significantly and smoking banned on many short-haul flights. Although 30 years may seem a long time to reach the present total ban, that original initiative was, in my view, the main reason why more and more measures were introduced over time and public opinion came eventually to accept the inevitability of legislation.