The health secretary has set out new restrictions on lighting up in public places and pledged to "radically extend" the campaign against smoking.

In a statement to MPs John Reid announced an outright ban on smoking in restaurants and a ban in all pubs which serve prepared food as part of the government's public health white paper.

The move will see smoking banned in the vast majority of pubs and all restaurants within four years.

Reid said all enclosed workplaces, restaurants and around 80 per cent of pubs would see smoking banned.

Those pubs which do not serve food, and private clubs, will be free to choose whether or not to permit smoking.

Reid said individuals should, within the law, be free to choose lifestyles that damage their own health.

But he said they "do not have the right to damage the health of others".

"We therefore contend to shift the balance significantly in favour of smoke free environments," he told MPs.

"From 2006 we propose to introduce changes to ensure that all government departments will be smoke free, all enclosed public places and workplaces - other than licensed premises which are dealt with separately - will be smoke free.

"All restaurants will be smoke free. All pubs and bars preparing and serving food will be smoke free.

"Other pubs and bars - about 20 per cent of [those] in England - and membership clubs, will be free to choose whether to allow smoking or to be smoke free.

"But smoking in the bar area will be prohibited everywhere."

Choice

The health secretary said people would be able to work or go out for a drink "without the damage, inconvenience or pollution from second hand smoke".

But the plans would introduce restrictions "in a way which, while protecting that right of the majority, still allows a degree of choice, albeit a more limited choice than before, to the minority".

"This is a sensible solution, I believe, which balances the protection of the majority with the personal freedom of the minority in England," added Reid.

Reid also pledged to reduce the number of smokers by two million over the next five years.

With the NHS helping 125,000 to quit smoking last year, he added that the government would be "radically extending our campaign against smoking".

There would be new warnings on cigarette packets, restrictions on advertising and "tough" action on shops that sell tobacco to children.

Reid said that smoke free environments would become "the norm".

Missed opportunity

Cancer Research UK, said the white paper was "a huge missed opportunity."

"The government has failed in its fundamental duty to protect our citizens' health and safety by opting out of a total ban on smoking in public places," said chief executive Professor Alex Markham.

"It seems bizarre that the government has accepted the wisdom of a ban but is then happy to deny the benefits of it to people who work in private clubs and pubs where food is not served."

Professor Markham warned that second hand smoke in the workplace causes about 700 deaths each year across the UK, including the death of 50 hospitality workers annually.

"With evidence like this it is ridiculous to have a ban in Scotland and not one in England and Wales," he added.

"By refusing to follow the examples of Scotland, Ireland and New York the government is further burdening the NHS as patients suffering not only from cancer but from other smoking related diseases continue to need prolonged and costly hospital treatment."

And shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the government's approach to smoking "simply risks delaying progress and sending smokers home to smoke in front of their children and do them more harm with more second smoke".

But health committee chairman David Hinchcliffe warned that the partial smoking ban did not go far enough in protecting people from passive smoke.