Smoking will be banned in restaurants, pubs and bars across Northern Ireland from April 2007.

Shaun Woodward, Northern Ireland’s health minister, said the protection of hospitality workers from second-hand smoke was a social justice issue.

He said: “This decision is not about banning smoking – it’s about where people are allowed to smoke.”

The news came on the same day as the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a report showing that a smoking ban in the Republic of Ireland has protected bar workers from the effects of second-hand smoke.

The British Medical Association (BMA) was quick to congratulate the government’s decision.