Smoke ban covers private parties in licensed premises

Premises rented for private parties fall under the new smoking regulations, Health Promotion Department director Mario Spiteri told The Times.

Dr Spiteri said it was against the law for people to rent licensed premises for a private function and permit smoking inside.

The smoking regulations, which came into force in entertainment establishments last month, lay down that smoking is forbidden except in designated areas which have to comply with established specifications.

Dr Spiteri said this also applied to licensed premises which were used for a private function, which also had to comply with these regulations. He mentioned wedding halls as an example and said that although a wedding was a private function, smoking was still only permitted in designated areas.

He warned that the licence of a premises could still be at stake if people are found smoking in it, irrespective of whether the function is a private one or not.

However, the smoking regulations do not apply to private parties in private homes, Dr Spiteri said.