Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on makeshift smoking corners in heartland areas by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on makeshift smoking corners in heartland areas by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Dr Wan Rizal: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) regarding the emergence of makeshift smoking corners in heartland areas, what are the measures being taken to balance the rights and health concerns of non-smokers, particularly those who live in densely populated residential areas; and (b) how does the National Environment Agency plan to manage these smoking corners to ensure public health and safety.

Answer:

1 Smoking is prohibited in specified places within residential estates such as void decks, common corridors and staircases, in order to limit non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke. Smoking is also prohibited in coffeeshops, except at designated smoking corners within these coffeeshops. The National Environment Agency has stopped accepting applications for new smoking corners in coffeeshops since June 2017 and existing smoking corners at coffeeshops will be phased out when the licences of these establishments are terminated or cancelled.

2 Makeshift smoking points are not prohibited unless they are located in places specified in the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Regulations 2018. However, premises owners should be considerate and ensure that makeshift smoking points in areas they manage do not cause disamenities to the public. We also urge smokers to be socially responsible when smoking at public places, and to keep our public spaces clean.