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Pubs involved in 18 of 25 cases taken to court by OTC

Of the 25 cases taken by the Office of Tobacco Control for offences under Section 47 of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 to 2009 last year, 18 involved licensed premises and one related to a hotel, according the the OTC’s annual report, published recently, with one pub being fined €2,500 for the breach.

Of the 25 cases taken by the Office of Tobacco Control for offences under Section 47 of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 to 2009 last year, 18 involved licensed premises and one related to a hotel, according the the OTC’s annual report, published recently, with one pub being fined €2,500 for the breach.
In all, 19 convictions were obtained of which 11 were in relation to permitting smoking in non-compliant outdoor smoking areas, five were for permitting smoking in another specified place and three related to people smoking in a specified place.
The licensed trade has also tightened up on purchasing of tobacco by minors.
An OTC-commissioned survey during Summer last year found that 38 per cent of all minors were asked their age when attempting to purchase cigarettes in a licensed premises, up from 20 per cent in 2008.
61 per cent of minors were asked for ID when attempting to purchase cigarettes in a licensed premises, up from 31 per cent the previous year.
In 2007 and 2008 the proportion of token-operated machines in licensed premises surveyed was 16 and 24 per cent respectively. In 2009 this figure increased to 73 per cent (disc/card-activated or token-operated).


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