Dear Mr Hedley,

I confirm that your request for information has been received and is receiving attention

The Council aims to provide available information promptly and in any event within 20 working days, unless, exceptionally, there is a need to consider whether the information is exempt from disclosure. Please note that there may be a charge for providing copies of the information. If the cost of complying with your request in full exceeds £450, we will ask you to reconsider your request, or to pay a fee before the information is supplied. If we need to ask you to refine your request or to pay a charge or fee we will let you know. Please quote the reference below if you contact the Council regarding this request.

Yours sincerely,

[email address]

Our reference; Customer number - 1347 and RFI number - 2043

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Dear Mr Hedley 

 

I write in response to your information request dated 17 January
2010 concerning the above.  

 

I am providing the information in the same order as your request:-

 

1.    How many persons does the City of Sunderland Council employ
specifically to enforce the ban on smoking?

 

A.    Sunderland City Council do not employ any persons specifically to
enforce the ban on smoking.

 

2.     How many persons at City of Sunderland Council specifically have
instructions to enforce the smoking ban on smoking?

 

A.    It is not specifically the role of any officer to enforce the
legislation  however, several officers of the Council are requested to be
vigilant in their day to day visits and deal with any contraventions of
the legislation, and refer if necessary to the Smoke Free Environments
Officer.

 

The Council employs a Smoke Free Environments Officer whose role is
to educate and assist retailers to prevent underage sales and to ensure
the enforcement of the smoke free legislation.  The officer also provides
regional secondhand smoking training amongst frontline staff and 
assisting in the implementation of the Government's National Tobacco
Strategy for England launched 1 February 2010. The officer also works with
Trading Standards Officers and businesses to reduce underage sales and the
accessibility to counterfeit and smuggled tobacco with funding from the
Improvement and Development Agency (IDEA). 

 

3.    What is the minimum, maximum and average annual salary bill of such
employees?

 

As stated above  several  officers working for the Council are expected to
remain vigilent regarding the smoking ban. When the Smoke Free Legislation
was introduced in July 2007, Sunderland City Council followed guidance
provided by the Department of Health and Local Authority Co-ordinators of
Regulatory Services (LACORS), to approach enforcement by educating and
supporting businesses to comply with the law.    Four officers were
specifically employed for a period of 18 months to implement the Smokefree
Legislation using finance given to Local Authorities from the DOH.  This
was £153.000 and the salary of the Smoke Free Environments Officer is
£26.276.

 

 4.    How many fixed penalty notices have been served since the
introduction of the smoking ban?

 

A.    There have been no fixed penalty notices served for smoking in an
enclosed space since the introduction of the ban.

 

5.    How many successful prosecutions has City of Sunderland Council
brought before the courts since the introduction of the smoking ban?

 

A.    There have been no prosecutions for smoking in an enclosed space
since the introduction of the ban.

 

I hope this is satisfactory.  If, however you remain dissatisfied with our
response to your request for information, you may request a further
review. This will be removed from the Directorate and co-ordinated by the
Council s Information Manager.  A request for further review should be
addressed to the Information Manager, PO Box 100, Civic Centre,
Sunderland, SR2 7DN. 

 

If this fails to resolve your concerns then you have the right to apply to
the Information Commissioner for a decision.  I attach a flowchart setting
out the review procedure for your information and also enclose a copy of
the Council's conditions of re-use of information supplied.

 

Should you have any queries with regard to this matter please contact
Norma Johnston, Assistant Head of Environmental Services on  0191 561 1657
email [1][email address]

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Sent on behalf of

Norma Johnston

Assistant Head of Environmental Services

 

 

 

 

References

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