Whilst the Welsh Conservatives will be supporting the amendments in this section, we are concerned that this legislation is likely to have the largest impact on the working practices of small businesses. In many aspects, the success of this Bill is dependent on the ability of small firms to comply with the changes in legislation, so it is vital that businesses are able to fully understand the implications of the Bill.

At Stage 2, we tabled amendments to the Bill that sought to provide greater clarity on the implementation of smoke-free premises, particularly for those who are self-employed or working from home, calling for the Minister to issue targeted and thorough guidance to small businesses that could demonstrate what is expected of them in regard to changes in the law. At that stage, the Minister gave her reassurances that any guidance issued with regard to smoke-free premises would, and I quote,

‘set out people’s responsibilities in lay terms, and will therefore help persons affected by the legislation to understand what their new responsibilities are.’

The Minister went on to give further assurances that the guidance issued on the smoking ban in public places in 2007 would be updated and reissued. So, on these grounds we agreed not to re-table the amendments at Stage 3.

In regard to amendment 6, assurance must be given by the Minister that guidance will be issued to provide clarity as to what is expected of individuals in regard to this duty, as this is not yet set out in the explanatory memorandum. It is vital that some example scenarios are presented to determine what is expected of childminders to promote compliance with the law.

In this section, the initial wording of this Bill created a power for Welsh Ministers to implement additional smoke-free premises on the grounds that—and I quote—if they’re

‘satisfied that doing so is likely to contribute towards the promotion of the health of the people of Wales.’

That could potentially result in a blanket ban across the whole of Wales. Now, the Welsh Conservatives raised this issue extensively, because although we accept that it was highly unlikely that a blanket ban would be implemented, we believe that it is critical that we demonstrate that politicians in the National Assembly do create robust legislation, and that this blanket power was restricted. Despite that, at committee level, the Minister gave an assurance that there was no intent to enact a blanket ban and struck out our amendment. Therefore it is marginally ironic, but very welcome, to see that at Stage 3 the Minister has tabled further amendments to section 10 of the Bill that seek to restrict this clause, despite her assertions that it was not necessary. This restriction is welcome, and therefore we will support amendment 10. However, it is regrettable that the Minister urged others to reject a similar amendment at Stage 2.