Well, that's interesting. The Government's e-petition website has suddenly been flooded with smoking ban-related petitions.
Most have been rejected ("There is already an e-petition about this issue"). Two have survived the cull, including the one above (proposed by Daniel Connolly). I've no quarrel with it at all. It says what it is on the tin:
Amend the smoking ban
Amendment of the smoking ban allowing proprietors of businesses to decide whether or not to allow smoking on their premises.
The second published petition reads:
Smoking Ban Review
The smoking ban has lead to economic misery for many thousands of businesses. Pubs are closing at an unprecedented rate. Even non-smokers admit that the atmosphere in pubs has been adversely affected. The streets in our towns and cities are now being blighted by crowds of smokers gathering outside pubs, causing noise and litter pollution. Give landlords of public houses the choice - smoking or non-smoking! At the moment there are enough pubs for people to be given this choice - but for how much longer?
As for the rejected petitions – you can see them here.
There is no sign (not even a rejection) of the petition we submitted. For the record it was proposed by Forest patron Antony Worrall Thompson and reads as follows:
Save Our Pubs and Clubs: Amend the Smoking Ban
Since the introduction of the smoking ban there has been a dramatic increase in pub closures. Working men's clubs have been hit badly too. The ban has damaged local communities with thousands of people deciding to stay at home instead of going out. Let's be fair. Tobacco is a legal product. In Britain ten million adult smokers contribute £10 billion a year in tobacco taxation alone. It's only right that they should be accommodated in some public places. If the government doesn't want adults to smoke at home in front of the children or litter the streets, they should be allowed to smoke in pubs and clubs. Give licensees and customers a choice. We want the smoking ban amended so landlords can choose to provide a separate, well-ventilated smoking room for adults who wish to smoke. Let common sense prevail. A modest change in the law is all we ask.
We'll give it one or two days and if AWT's petition doesn't appear we'll reassess the situation, probably throwing our weight behind Daniel's petition.
Update: I have just checked our records and Daniel Connolly is a registered supporter of the Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign. He also registered to attend our reception at the House of Commons in June but work intervened and he couldn't come.