Estimates of economic impact of the regulation of smoking in public places in Scotland
Research commissioned by the Executive/NHS Health Scotland from the Health Economic Research Unit at the University of Aberdeen
- Studies of the impact of smoking restrictions on the hospitality sector (hotel, bars and restaurants) have failed to find any statistically significant effect
- The studies do not rule out the possibility of much smaller negative effects for some businesses or small areas, which are balanced out by gains elsewhere
- Estimates of the effect on the hospitality sector in Scotland lie between -£104m to +£299m, with a central estimate of +£97m
- Other economic impacts include savings to the NHS, productivity gains from sickness absence, smoking breaks, savings on fire damage and cleaning costs
- The total effect of eliminating exposure to ETS lies in the range +£23m to £555m, with the central estimate being +£335m
Economic impact of New York ban
- One year after implementing a ban in bars and restaurants, tax receipts are up, employment is up, openings are up, and the numbers of liquor licences are up – according to a comprehensive review which took account of data over time, trends and seasonal adjustments
Economic impact of Irish ban
- Official statistics suggest that the volume of bar sales were down 1.3% in the 3 months following the ban, but against a backdrop of falling sales before the introduction of the ban. Recent alcohol price rises and changing drinking patterns have contributed to the fall in sales
- The tourist trade in Ireland reported a 3.4% increase in overseas visitors in the first three months of the ban
- A survey undertaken at 3 months reports that visits to pubs were slightly up, due to increased non-smoker visits.