Smoking is to be banned in all restaurants and in pubs serving food in the Irish Republic, the health minister has said.

Micheal Martin said on Thursday that his officials were finalising regulations which would also outlaw smoking in workplaces.

The ban on smoking in pubs will apply when food is actually being serviced, Mr Martin said.

He said: "It is not fair to say to restaurants who have borne the brunt of all tobacco controls up to this particular point in our community that we are prohibiting it in restaurants but we are not going to do anything in pubs.

Micheal Martin said cigarettes were major killer

"Because we know that many pubs are very significant eating establishments in their own right.

"You can't discriminate against one particular type of eating establishment."

Mr Martin added: "In pubs we are talking about when food is served. But food isn't served all throughout the day. When food is not being served, the controls do not apply."

Mr Martin told RTE radio the owners of premises would be responsible for ensuring that the rules were kept.

He said smoking was the greatest killer in the country and had a huge impact on health services.

An estimated 30% of the population smoke, and about 7,000 deaths a year involved smoking-related diseases, he added.

The new laws will apply to all workplaces, apart from designated smoking rooms, Mr Martin said.

The extended ban would also close smoking carriages on inter-city trains.

Smoking is already illegal on buses, public offices and buildings in the Irish Republic.