It says it defends the interests of adults who choose to smoke and promotes freedom of choice for employers and proprietors who wish to accommodate smokers on their premises.

Its director Simon Clark believes that there are huge doubts about the effects of second-hand smoke.

Today, only a minority of the adult population smoke and the places where they can do so indoors is largely restricted to pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes, an increasing number of which provide no smoking areas, improved ventilation and modern air filtration systems.

Anti-smokers argue that passive smoking kills 1,000 Brits each year, including one bar worker every week.

In reality there are huge doubts about the effects of second-hand smoke.

The Health and Safety Commission has declared that, "proving beyond reasonable doubt that passive smoking at a particular workplace was a risk to health is likely to be very difficult, given the state of the scientific evidence".

Better ventilation

Likewise the editor of the British Medical Journal commented, only last year: "We must be interested in whether passive smoking kills and the question has not been definitively answered."

Of course a smoky atmosphere can be unpleasant but the hospitality industry is making progress.

A review, carried out last year for the Scottish Executive revealed that the industry hit three out of four targets set for it in 2000. Only a minority (39%) of pubs, clubs, hotels and other leisure facilities now allow smoking throughout, 43% restrict smoking and 18% were completely smoke free.

Since then no-smoking pubs have opened in both Edinburgh and Glasgow and if the demand is there more will surely follow.

Better still, a recent study showed that ventilation in pubs can dramatically reduce a smoky atmosphere.

Researchers tested the air quality of The Doublet bar in Glasgow.

Survey findings

They found that an effective ventilation system could cut the amount of gases and particles by 90%. You have to be a fanatic not to be happy with that.

Most independent polls, including research carried out by the Office for National Statistics, show that less than a quarter of the population want a total ban. Most people, if given a choice, support smoking and no-smoking areas and better ventilation.

A survey carried out by Populus earlier this year found that only one in five people (22%) in Scotland thought smoking should be banned completely in pubs, clubs and bars.

Almost two-thirds (63%) said decisions on smoking policies in pubs, clubs and bars should be left to the owners and managers of individual premises, rather than central government (14%) or local councils (21%).

If Scottish politicians really believe in local democracy they will let private businesses choose their own policy on smoking in consultation with customers and staff.

This is an issue that should be decided by individuals and market forces not opportunistic politicians jumping on the anti-smoking bandwagon.